


Zombriam

by Briam4ever



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Slash, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-05-23 17:34:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6124660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briam4ever/pseuds/Briam4ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam tried to narrow his mind to the current situation: this guy had stolen his kill and he wanted revenge. But only after he had evaluated what he was working with in front of him. A gorgeous brunette had unknowingly crossed paths with a mildly annoyed teenager who had been salivating over his next meal.</p><p>Or, the Zombie AU where Liam is captivated by Brett and then proceeds to stalk him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hunter and Hunted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [red_to_black](https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_to_black/gifts), [nameonehero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nameonehero/gifts).



> Since red_to_black started Briam in a zombie AU (http://archiveofourown.org/works/5230694/chapters/12062717) I can't forget about it and my mind is buzzing. And then nameonehero created one as well (http://archiveofourown.org/works/6031417/chapters/13831087). You have both inspired a writing frenzy in me so be proud of yourselves, because I am.
> 
> Tl;dr In Oprah Winfrey style: "You get a Zombie AU! You get a Zombie AU! Everybody gets a Zombie AU!"
> 
> I have a multi-chapter plan for this, trust me, so let me know how you feel about it.  
> Thanks for reading, leave comments and hope you enjoy! <3

### Chapter 1 – Hunter and Hunted

The brightness of the sun was a warm contrast to the bleak surroundings around Liam. As he trudged through the trees with his rifle around his shoulder, he felt somewhat comforted by the peace and quiet, not that it was a change from his current circumstances. At least, it would be peace and quiet if he could stop making the leaves and twigs underfoot make such LOUD NOISES. It’s like they didn’t know he was trying to keep quiet.

Pushing through some shrubs he grunts at the short, sharp twigs that scratch his arm. He swings his machete in further frustration leaving a mass of vegetative destruction in his wake. Liam unshoulders his rifle so he can comfortably slump against a tree. Today hasn’t been as successful as he wanted. Taking a swig from his dwindling water supply he frowns at the ground. Was this all he had been reduced to? A primitive hunter gatherer fighting for survival among the wreckage of humanity. Liam kicks his shoes together to get rid of some of the dust that had built up on them, but of course to no avail. He shuffles his shoes amongst the dirt, creating a small divot in the ground and stirring up a small cloud.

With a final sigh, he puts his hands on his knees and rolls to a standing position. As he leans down to pick up his rifle and dust off his pants he spots some movement in his peripheral vision. He drops down to his knees, ignoring the fact that he just dusted them off. Peering around the trunk he was previously leaning on he spies a young deer in a clearing a hundred feet away. Finally, some good luck has come his way. This day might not be as pointless as Liam had first thought. Ensuring that the silencer on the rifle was fitted correctly he positions it against his shoulder and looks down the iron sights. It seemed unfair to Liam that he should have to take out this innocent after so many had already been lost. But his primal instinct started to take over and his mind reveled in the idea of something other than canned beans for dinner.

Just as he was breathing out and placing his finger on the trigger, the deer’s head jolted upright, alert. At first Liam was confused as to what noise he might have made, whether his breathing had been too loud, but he threw that idea away as soon as he remembered where he was. He snapped to attention as fast as the deer had, prepared from all directions. There could be other survivors around here, or worse. Liam took his eye out of focus and scanned the general area in front of him. His hands had tensed up and his left hand was readying the hatchet around his waist.

With a swift whoosh of the air an arrow embedded itself through the deer’s neck and it let out a small guttural squeal before collapsing on the floor. Liam’s nose started twitching and his anger flaring as he realised his kill had just been stolen from him. Despite getting riled up he was able to, narrowly, avoid revealing that he existed to this other hunter. So he ducked his head and waited for the stranger to reveal themselves. The first thing he saw was a rudimentary bow peek around a bush, then an arm, a muscled arm at that. Liam’s interest had been piqued. It had been a while since he had seen a man, even any person, but he hadn’t forgotten how he felt toward the former. It was only when the brown locks of a tall guy maybe a few years older than him came into view that he actually realised how starved for human contact he was.

The brown-haired boy swiftly moved out of his hiding place and retrieved his arrow from the deer. Wasting no time at all he threw the rope from his shoulder around the deer, expertly tying it up before tying it to his belt. Lifting the limp body straight up onto his shoulders, Liam just became more and more amazed at this beast in front of him. Without a second thought about it, he knew he had to keep his eyes on this specimen and follow him. The boy was dressed surprisingly well for his situation, in jeans and a black leather jacket with a (tight) grey tee on. Liam followed the contours of the shirt creases as his eyes dropped down, down, down. Finally, some good luck has come his way.

Ducking in between trees, the two individuals deftly made their way back to the abandoned city. For all Liam knew, the brown-haired boy could have a whole group that he was taking the deer back to. I mean, how else would he be able to eat that whole thing before it turns rotten? With each thought, Liam’s anxiety grew into the forefront of his mind. Why was he following this stranger? What if the stranger knew he was following him and it was a trap? What had Liam so captivated after such a short encounter? Was he really that desperate for human affection? Liam tried to narrow his mind to the current situation: this guy had stolen his kill and he wanted revenge. But only after he had evaluated what he was working with in front of him. A gorgeous brunette had unknowingly crossed paths with a mildly annoyed teenager who had been salivating over his next meal.

Once they had each cleared the first line of buildings it became increasingly harder for Liam to keep up and not lose sight of his prey. The shadows of the buildings were hiding the silhouette of Liam’s prey, revealed only by the lump of a carcass making it disproportionate. The sun was still high enough for Liam to justify continuing his quest. If it was any later he would never had risked his life at night time just to stalk a pretty boy. Leaning around a corner leading onto a main street, Liam sees the boy, and the deer around his shoulders, bolting to the other side. Leaning further around, Liam sees the reason.

There was a horde of about ten zombies just a bit down the road. It’s a wonder they hadn’t spotted him. But Liam had spoken too soon, as one of the zombies either saw him or smelled the deer. With a guttural grunt and a defiant shuffle, it made its way towards the brown-haired boy. Liam tenses up. What if he had to fight the zombies off for him? Why or how would he help this stranger? What was going on with his brain right now? Before Liam can think himself into a hole, the boy threw the deer off his shoulders in the alleyway he was heading towards. Unsheathing both a machete from his back and a medium-sized dagger from his waist he turned front on to the oncoming horde. This guy couldn’t get any hotter, Liam thought to himself.

In a few seconds, he was proven very wrong. Walking confidently up to the first zombie, without blinking he hacks into its skull and it falls limp to his side. The next two discovered sharp implements straight up into their jaws and the next one followed suit. The boy was a flurry of muscle and blood, swinging with expertise and precision. Liam’s mouth dropped further with each zombie, further intrigued by who the hell this guy was. After only a few minutes, there was a line of bodies of varying decapitation on the ground and one man, one badass, standing over them. Liam’s eyes were wide and he couldn’t decide whether he should be afraid or turned on.

Like a moth drawn into a flame, Liam kept following the brown hair after he picked up the deer and made his way to a small, 3 storey apartment building. Crap, thought Liam, this place is way too big for just him. There have to be more people here. As his hopes of gaining a very skilful ally dwindled, Liam noticed a metal fire escape on the side of the building, perfect for his investigative needs.

As Liam reached the bottom of the ladder, he craned his neck to the window close by. Inside he sees a large entrance hall, the marble floor almost perfectly held in its own time besides the chandelier in millions of pieces scattered around the floor. Liam leaned against the window sill for a moment, lost in his thoughts of how such a well-crafted place could remain so close to perfect in an imperfect world. Shaking his head and reminding himself of the setting sun he continued on.

Placing his foot on the ladder at the bottom of the fire escape to test its strength, he lifted himself up, careful not to creak the metal and alert his presence. At the first landing he tried to peer through the gap between wooden boards against the window but it was too dark on the inside for him to make out any shapes. What if the boy told everyone I was following him and they’re waiting for me? What if it’s a trap and I fell right into it? Why did they have to send the most attractive person ever to bait him?

With those final thoughts running through his head, his heart rate picked up dramatically. He hadn’t had to think this fast in months and this overwhelming process was draining him physically, mentally and emotionally. Nothing new for him. He silently collapsed into a seating position on the landing and tucked his knees up to his chin and started gently rocking, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to recall the faint voice of his mother’s soothing voice.

 

_“Liam. Liiiiiiiiam. Wake up sleepy head.” Liam’s mother’s smile poked around the door with a chuckle. “Come on, you’re going to be late for school.”_

 

The memory faded as quickly as it came. He was losing more and more seconds of it every day, desperately struggling to hold on to one of the only things keeping him sane. Liam wiped his eyes and saw a few wet spots on his sleeves. Unsure if it was sweat or a sign of weakness Liam pressed on. He slowly relaxed his grip on his legs, bringing colour back to his white knuckles, and stretched them in front of him. _That was then, this is now. For her, just like always._ With a reminded purpose he launched himself up the stairs to the next floor.

With only a few boards covering this window, he could see a light coming through the stairwell from upstairs. If he was going to find anyone, he knew where to go. He felt his fingers around the windowsill until he could get a grip on the pane. Pushing up on the rusted hinges it slid open with a loud creak.

Liam froze.

He was sure one of the people in this building must have heard him. People might be sleeping on this floor. He paused for what seemed like an eternity, more sweat forming on his strained brow.

Liam exhaled the breath which he had held in the whole time he stayed still.

Nothing happened.

Why hadn’t anything happened? Liam was growing more and more anxious by the second. Where was the brown-haired boy’s group? Why were they ignoring his noises? He should have gone back home after the forest. There was no reason for him to be out here. If he died, no one would remember him. He would just cease to exist. His hideout would fall into disrepair or get overrun by zombies. But he was here and needed to move upwards. Entering via this window would cause a whole host of problems.

All his fears were reserved for this final floor. This is where he would find the group of people, maybe huddled around a fireplace. Chatting, laughing, and teasing. Liam couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have people around him so that he didn’t have to be constantly on guard.

Halfway up the ladder Liam hesitated. What if he found what he was looking for? This could be the end of his loneliness. He had to be brave because this was his choice and there was no turning back now. But what if they found him first.

A warm glow escaped from the small window on this top floor. He could hear what sounded like a girlish giggle coming from inside. A giggle? Who would be laughing in an apocalypse? Keeping low, he shifted towards to windowsill and crept his eye above the corner. He could see a girl about Liam’s age, maybe younger, with eyes of wonder and amazement staring at the beautiful brown-haired boy as he re-enacted what could only be interpreted as the glorious slaughter of the zombies earlier to her.

Liam admired as the boy’s arm swept up in the air holding a spatula, the other a frying pan. His muscles rippling through his tight shirt with every movement. If Liam wasn’t trying to hide so much, he would lean on his folded arms and stare for hours. Euphoria had entered his mind and all thoughts of danger had left him. He was perfectly content right here and right now.

Liam tried to lift himself up to get a better seeing position (stalking position) and the laces on his sneakers got caught. Before he could hold himself up by the windowsill he was falling down to the metal grate, crashing down on the stairs with a metallic twang that reverberated multiple times in his head.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not like cliffhangers.  
> You have been warned :P


	2. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bursting with creativity at the response to the previous chapter, thanks!
> 
> More angsty Liam
> 
> P.S. I do not condone the language (one word) used in this chapter but just a heads up

### Chapter 2 - Consequences

Liam’s head quickly turned to the side to embrace the pain of the metal grate crashing up to met him, eyes focusing on a large, flat wooden board leaning up against the railing. Ignoring the searing pain on his left side he rolled out from under the windowsill and leapt over the railing, holding on with his right and stabilising with his throbbing left hand. He hooked his foot into the bottom of the railing, locking himself in position but twisting his foot in the process in a way that he knew would injure his walking pace for a while.

Failing to resist the urge to look down he sees the alleyway below, blurry in his delirious vision. _I have to not exist_ , Liam thought to himself. He curled himself into a ball, eyes streaming with tears of pain.

He heard the window swiftly slide open and Liam held his breath for the second time in five minutes. He couldn’t bear to watch and held his eyes closed, already deciding to jump and risk pain rather than what horrors could come from being captured in the apocalypse by someone much stronger than him.

He could hear the pressure of the metal grate creak under the foot of the boy stepping out of the window. With each step, the railing shook slightly, loosening Liam’s ever increasingly sweaty grip holding his life literally on the line. His biceps were screaming at him to let go, release them from their terror, tearing apart with each second he held on. _I could just let go_ , the thought bounced in his head like a soft echo. _Let go and release the pain_.

The whole landing dropped slightly as the boy stepped towards Liam’s place, hopefully still unaware of the teenager in tears on the other side of a half inch thick board.

“What is it?” a scared childish voice rang out from within the building.

“Don’t worry, Lori, it’s nothing. I’m here to protect you, like always. I wouldn’t let anything get to you.” Oh my god his voice was so tender and deep, deep enough to hold Liam and his heart in one place. _Keep talking, please keep talking. Drown out my screaming arms with your voice._

But Lori, his girlfriend or whatever. Liam had a name to whom he could express hatred for stealing his crush. He wasn’t usually the jealous type, but if there was a way he could squeeze in to their lives officially, he couldn’t have two people fighting for affection.

“Must be rusty old stairs,” were the final words Liam heard before the boy jumped inside and slid the window shut. Releasing himself from his muscle strain, with one final heave he lifted himself over the railing and lying, breathless, under the windowsill, not even caring if they came back outside.

***

Liam’s eyes snapped open as a cold evening wind nipped at his skin, creating goosebumps up and down his arms. _Crap, it’s too dark to travel._ But he couldn’t stay here. He snaked his way down the stairs and landed with soft thud, wincing in pain as he forgot about his twisted foot. He knew he would regret it and now was not the best time. He swung his hatchet through the air in frustration, blowing some paper debris at his feet into a flurry.

He headed back in the direction he had travelled to get here, careful to avoid the road massacre witnessed earlier for fear of a larger crowd having been drawn there in the aftermath. He hid in each of the shadows of the buildings and alleyways, more than he would like but it was later than he would have liked and he didn’t want to take any precautions, especially with his foot and muscle tiredness. Man, he hadn’t been this physically tired since coach had made them run laps until his friend, Stiles, had actually managed to score a goal during lacrosse training.

Liam’s mind wanders to the lacrosse field and the benefits he didn’t even think that it would have in the apocalypse. From physical fitness to being able to hold a stick up for extended periods of time for protection. From lacrosse to his team mates – his friends – Stiles and Scott, the captain. The guilt punched him in the stomach of all the people he had lost in those first few weeks, the people that had saved him and yet only he had survived. The helpless little grunt who couldn’t even save himself managed to escape the massing hordes and the heroes had to die.

Liam spat on the ground in disgust and anger at himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He shouldn’t be in this situation. Scott, or even Stiles, would have known how to survive out here in the middle of nowhere. Without thinking, he kicked the dumpster in the alley next to him. He didn’t even register the sound that rang out as the thoughts in his head clouded over in a red rage.

The first corpse rounded the corner a few feet in front of him but was quickly confronted with wild eyes and a hatchet in its skull. The next followed suit in a blur of violent cleaves. A stream of anger burst out from Liam, hacking at everything moving around him. As more zombies came, more bodies fell. 

But just like a light switch, his muscles turned off. The pain unbearable, Liam’s brain cut off all nerves. The only movement was Liam’s pupils dilating as he realised his predicament.

_Run, you fuck._

With the last reserves in his thighs, he dived through the closest window, crashing through the glass in shards and scratches. He landed on wooden floorboards reeking of mould. The zombies were still groaning outside, clambering at the edges of the new opening and starting to pile on top of each other. I only have a few seconds before they’re here.

Liam had entered some sort of storage room for what seemed to be an appliance store. _Ha, appliances in the apocalypse, so useful._ Shaking his head to focus, he sees the storage door and limps over. He tried the handle. Of course it’s FUCKING LOCKED! Running out of time Liam undecidedly rams his right shoulder into the door, again and again, feeling every bruise that it will create.

 

_“Open the fucking door, faggot! We’re gonna get in there eventually so why don’t you come out here and face us like a man. Oh wait, you aren’t a real man.”_

 

With the fading memory of the prevailing laughter to strengthen his anger Liam broke down the mouldy part of the door, clambering through the partial hole. His sleeve was only just hanging on and a bad yellow-purple mark had started to form on his shoulder. At least it’s not broken. For now.

Having lured the zombies to the alley and them fighting to get in the building, it was surprisingly easy for Liam to exit out the front door and drag his jelly legs through the silent and lonely streets.

Leaving the denser parts of the city for more suburban housing over half an hour later, Liam began to recognise the subtle markers he had scratched into the walls in case he had forgotten his way home. Fading fast he attempted to grab on to the flat wall for support but Liam recoiled in pain as his fingers were still strained from gripping the railing, and then his hatchet, so fiercely.

The last few moments of consciousness that Liam remembers was pushing open the door to his shelter and collapsing right there on the entrance rug.

***

The morning sun burned into the top of Liam’s eyelids as it streamed through the front door which had remained ajar overnight.

“Five more minutes,” Liam grumbled, groaning in pain as he waved his arm at his mom. He rolled onto his side and was immediately awake as the searing pain of his bruised shoulder being pressed into the hard stone tiles. Realising his surroundings he kicked the door closed with his foot. With at least some protection, if only an inch of wood, Liam breathed a steady sigh. This would be a long road to recovery.

Over the next few days Liam moved slowly, taking double, if not triple, the time to do regular tasks. His shelter was a small two bedroom suburban house which would have been perfect if half of the house hadn’t been crushed under the weight of a fallen tree in a storm just after Liam had gotten here. But luckily one bedroom, the kitchen, living room and single bathroom had been left relatively untouched, or repaired by Liam over the months he had been here. Liam had been thankful that winter had just finished when he had arrived otherwise the draughts would have given him pneumonia.

His bruise had changed to a soft yellow on his skin, the purple had almost all but vanished. Liam had refused to give himself painkillers, save at night time, to prevent his supply from running out. His hard emotional shell had transferred into a rough physical exterior and stubbornness for survival, which he credited to his pre-apocalypse experiences.

The lack of deer to bring home the other day had made an impact on Liam’s ration supply. While he had enough to last another two weeks, he wasn’t so sure that he had enough energy each day to go out and hunt again before winter hit. The stress of the previous days had taken its toll on Liam’s mental state and he didn’t want to risk another uncontrolled outburst.

After checking his inventory for the third time to make sure he wasn’t going to starve Liam headed to the bathroom for a much needed clean. His time with his stepdad on the weekends had been beneficial in allowing Liam to learn a lot of handyman knowledge, so it only took Liam a week to figure out how to install a rain water tank to his shelter. While the water pressure wasn’t great, it was better than nothing.

Turning the hot water tap on out of habit, as Liam knew only lukewarm water would dribble out, he undressed and took the time to inspect himself in the mirror. His blond hair had been darkened with dirt and dust and spiked in odd directions. Stroking his face he noticed a few small recently healed cuts which he assumed he had gotten from the broken window, along with his arms and clothes. He wasn’t quite old enough to shave but he was definitely sure that he was on the verge of becoming a man.

Liam stepped into the shower and, as he started lathering up his arms, the soap seeped into his cuts and stung slightly. As he moved down to his legs and the water tender on his skin his mind drifted off to the forest a few days ago, before he had entered hell. His memory of the brown hair flopping out from behind the bush and charging into Liam’s eye line made his heart leap. The youthful eyes on a mature body excited Liam in both his mind and somewhere begging for attention.

It had been weeks since Liam had even thought about relaxing before he slept. There was no good source material and any he could remember had long since been replaced by fear of his surroundings. He just hadn’t felt the desire to pleasure his libido. But as he reached down and closed his eyes he was not surprised to feel himself standing straight at attention.

Liam’s hands were shaking both with excitation and muscle soreness as he closed a relaxed fist around his cock. It pulsed under his hand as his mind flew back to the scene behind the tree. He imagined the boy tying up the deer, his biceps tightening as he knotted the rope. Maybe even so tight that the sleeves ripped a bit. And as it ripped the boy ripped it further with an animalistic tear.

Liam’s hand started shifting forwards ever so gently and he rotated a flat palm over the head. The brown hair fell over his eyes as he looked up and stared down Liam behind his tree trunk. He strutted with purpose towards Liam, his ripped shirt falling to further pieces on the floor behind him, forgotten.

Liam had forgotten that he was even stroking himself, his hand slipping and sliding up and down due to the soap on his body. With his left hand he dropped it down past his dick and to his balls, lightly touching each one with one finger, rolling them against each other.

The boy was getting closer, one hand moving up his side, stroking his abs and moving over his pecs and up to his neck, never breaking eye contact with the stunned boy, like a deer caught in the headlights of lust. Liam had fallen backwards, hands behind him, gripping the dirt as the boy reached him and towered over him, blocking out the sunlight with his tall frame and broad shoulders. Liam dropped his legs flat and stooped his head out of fear for this menacing, yet alluring, stranger. He felt two legs drop to either side of him and strong arms land beside his shoulders.

“Do you miss me yet?” came the deep, sexy voice.

And so did Liam, lost in the soap suds and water washing around him. Liam sat down in the shower as the water cascaded over his shoulders and washed the remaining soap off him. 

Turning off the shower and drying himself off he put on some clean clothes and wrapped himself in the sheets of his bed, and for once in a long time, a small smile crept onto his lips and stayed there as he fell asleep.

***

As Liam woke up the next day he grew concerned at the chilly frost that was on the edges of his bedroom window pane. He didn’t have much time before winter came and he needed to act fast if he wanted some meat before hibernation.

Packing his backpack of supplies and checking his rifle again and again for ammunition Liam set out for a day of hunting. He enjoyed the forest at the edge of the city, as there was a smaller chance of encountering zombies, who had flocked to the cities to grow in number. The forest had run wild over the year it had been kept untamed, spilling over onto the highways and roads surrounding it. 

Hopping over the barrier and entering the first tree line, Liam’s senses picked up something unnatural. There was a small stream that had been created running in the ditch running alongside the road recently and there was a corpse lying there. If Liam hadn’t killed that zombie, then it was either alive or someone else had killed it. 

Keeping his distance, he aimed his rifle and pierced its head, quickly snuffing out the low grunt that it had emitted and prompted Liam to so quickly pull the trigger. Immediately, another zombie in an abandoned car popped its head up at the silenced gunshot. _Fuck their supernatural senses._

Liam realised this wasn’t the day for hunting and started to make his way back to his shelter, planning a route that would make him lose the zombies that had started to follow the disturbance. Fuck there are so many of them, I’ll have to take the longest route.

Running in the direction of the city Liam passed through buildings, but at every turn he was met with more zombies, who were all, for some reason, more active today than usual. _Fucking shit._

Turning towards the industrial sector, Liam was sure there would be less zombies and he could lose them in the surrounding warehouses. He saw the large corrugated metal buildings from a distance and didn’t stop until he had pressed his back against its cool metal in the shade. _Well, this is as good a time as any to take a breather._

Liam scoped the place out and circled around until he found an open window high up out of reach. Perfect.

He found a small crate and placed it on top of the dumpster underneath the window and clambered on top. The window was slightly larger than him so it was easy enough for him to slide in to a spacious warehouse lined high with shelves of packing boxes.

Climbing down the shelves was quite easy as Liam was somewhat nimble, but once he had reached the bottom a deep voice echoed around both the shelves and his brain.

“Why, hello there.”

Oh for fuck’s sake, not you too.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers galore!


	3. Home Invader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for some reason I didn't know where to end this chapter, so I kind of just kept writing. I could've left it at a few cliff hangers but I decided against it because three cliffhangers in a row doesn't make for a good story.
> 
> I have inklings of the rest of the story scratching at my brain but there may be a longer gap between chapters now whilst I formulate the future.
> 
> But enough about me, as always, tell me what you think! <3

### Chapter 3 - Home Invader

Liam swung around, unholstering his rifle and locking it under his shoulder, ready for action. He sighed internally at the sight of the boy. Liam had forgotten how much he had missed admiring him and now was his chance to see him in detail. But his external façade had to remain.

“Hey, hey, woah. Easy there little guy.” This kind of tone was not expected by Liam and he was slightly peeved at the mention of ‘little’. “What are you doing here?” His hand was open palmed towards Liam to suggest friendliness.

Liam remained silent, careful to not give away any precious information which could be the difference between life and death. Even though he knew so much about the physical attributes of the boy, he didn’t trust him enough and he could be affiliated with other groups of survivors. Liam used his lack of response to use the time to examine his rival up close. 

He was standing there, feet spaced apart and body turned to minimise the target area for Liam to aim at. This guy was good. He was wielding a machete, raised above him in preparation for defence, or hopefully not offence. He was wearing the same jeans and black leather jacket as the other day but his shirt had change to a white tee. There was a strap hanging over his shoulder and torso holding his small supply bag. _He must only be out here on a scouting trip._

Liam’s analysis was cut short as the boy started to smirk at Liam. “You look a little frightened. Come on, it’s not like I'm going to hurt you.”

Liam remained sceptical. Although his mind was relieved that he wasn’t going to die any time soon, and possibilities of befriending the boy had spiked, he had to keep his tough exterior composed because he wasn’t going to let this boy know his weaknesses.

“So anyway, my name’s Brett.” Brett. Hot guy name. Fitting.

“Liam,” he quickly grunted in reply reluctantly.

“Lovely. Now that we’ve got that in order, do you want to maybe lower your gun?” Brett smiled as he said this, making Liam’s stomach flutter.

Liam hesitated, and it showed, as Brett's eyebrows raised in confidence. It took a few seconds but he slowly lowered his rifle, keeping his grip tight around its barrel, ready to react in an instant. Brett looked a little curious at the teenager in front of him but he let it pass due to it being the apocalypse and all.

“So, Liam,” the way he said Liam’s name made him die slightly inside, “What brings you to the edge of the city in an abandoned warehouse in the apocalypse, of all times? Alone.”

Liam’s brain refused to talk, but he couldn’t resist Brett’s charm. “Zombies, what else?” he finally mumbled.

Brett seemed all of a sudden alert, “Did they follow you? We can’t be having corpses interrupt our first meeting, now can we?” _Ugh, just stop talking because you're killing me._

“You’re a talkative little guy, aren’t you?” _If you call me ‘little’ one more time…_

“Anyway, as riveting as this conversation is, I do have to head back to my…” Brett paused. “I have to go.” Liam’s mind raced at the possibilities. _He has a group. I have to go before he follows me. He can’t know anything about me. I have to not exist._

Brett sensed the uneasiness in the room and suggested a solution. “You can stay here while I go in case you’re afraid I’ll follow you.” Damn it, he was smart too.

Brett took a step backwards before turning and heading towards to front door. He removed the heavy shelves he must have placed there earlier with ease, his biceps not going unnoticed by the curious teenager behind him.

And just like that he was gone. Liam was tempted to follow him just like the other day but he knew that he didn’t want to get in too deep here. He had already risked a lot of pain and stress over, what, a high school boy crush?

But there was little time to mourn his loss because as soon as he had thought that the door opened again. A breathless Brett came through the door, slammed it close and leaned his back against it with his eyes closed.

“Well, so much for that plan, we’ve got company. Quick, to your window.” Liam didn’t appreciate being ordered what to do but he followed like a puppy nevertheless. At the bottom of the shelves, Brett seemed to be sizing up his options.

“Do you want me to lift you up?” Brett reached out and put his hand on Liam’s shoulder and Liam menacingly shoved it off and scoffed at Brett before beginning his climb himself.

“Alrighty then,” breathed Brett, curious about this new stranger.

Liam seemed to get up to the top with relative ease and as he was standing at the top looking down he could see Brett struggling to gain the same footholds that Liam had. Internally, Liam found it cute at his little struggle for such a tall person, but externally he offered no assistance.

Once Brett had finally made it to the top, looking somewhat flustered and out of breath, he dusted himself off and motioned towards the window. “Thanks for waiting.”

Liam pushed himself through the little gap and dropped down onto the box he had placed previously, careful not to clang too hard on the metal dumpster lid. Brett, however didn’t even have to jump down because of his tall figure. He merely let go of the window and was already standing on top. He looked down at the box and smirked.

They set off around the building, keeping to the shadows so as not to provoke an attack. Brett took point because he seemed to know where he was going and Liam still didn’t fully trust him.

As Brett peered around the corner, Liam could tell that it wasn't good news on the other side as his shoulders visibly slumped.

“There are more there now than before. I just don’t understand where they all came from. I’ve never seen this many zombies before.”

Liam didn’t answer but instead pushed past Brett to take a look for himself. Well, he wasn't wrong, it was the most amount of zombies either of them had seen in one place, probably almost a thousand, but there was a row of containers around the side which they could use to escape.

Liam elbowed Brett lightly and pointed to the containers. Brett was a little relieved.

“You’re not talkative but you sure are resourceful. I’m gonna keep you around, little guy.” Liam’s heart tripped, but also, fuck you with the ‘little guy’ thing.

One at a time, Liam leading, they dodged and ducked their way over to the shipping containers, behind barrels and piles of logs. Liam could do it with relative ease but Brett, with his figure, had to duck a little further with each barrier. 

Once they had reached the first line of containers Liam peeked around the far side, just to make sure. And he was lucky that he did, as between two rows of containers about twenty more zombies were between them and a stealthy getaway. 

"Fuck,” Liam swore under his breath and it didn't go unnoticed by Brett.

“Greeeeeat. Who’s up for a zombie fest?” Brett joked toward Liam, but was quickly cut short by Liam’s death stare. He cleared his throat and motioned forward.

Brett unsheathed his machete and dagger while Liam shouldered his rifle and took out his hatchet. Brett started to stretch his arm and do some pre-swings as a warm up. Liam stared at him with one raised eyebrow.

“What?” Brett chuckled, “Gotta be prepared.” He winked at Liam before rounding the corner to start the onslaught. Liam wished he could just sit and watch like he did that other day but he knew he had had to protect Brett from the mass in front of them.

Liam jogged to catch up to Brett, already brandishing his double blades as the zombies shuffled towards them. Brett nodded to the left and Liam knew he wanted them to split up and take half each. _Good plan, until one of us dies. Whatever._

There wasn’t a lot of room for them to attack the zombies so they had to be meticulous with not being overcrowded. As Liam’s half trampled over, he started to get in an angry mindset, trying to find a trigger which would allow him to engage his adrenaline. 

_Think, Liam, think. Think about if the zombies got to you. Then you'd be dead. What about if they got Brett? Then you would be sad._

The images of Brett getting mauled played over and over in his head. Liam couldn’t do anything to stop the constant slaughter. _No, no, this isn’t angry_. Liam froze, his heart racing but his limbs not moving. _I can’t do this. I can’t save both of us._ His eyes widened at his prospects and he knew he had back out. _I’m sorry, Brett._

While Liam was having his panic attack, Brett was dealing with zombies left and right. His arms were moving independently from one another, piercing and slashing necks and limp limbs in every direction. Brett managed to look up in time to see Liam double back and leap up onto a shipping container. _That bitch, he’s trying to get me killed._

Brett kicked the closest zombie away from him, leaving him a gap to dive through. Rolling between decaying legs Brett darted towards the container.

“Liam!” he exploded in a hushed whisper, so as not to attract the zombies on the other side of the containers. Liam just kept staring at the crowd of zombies, ignoring Brett’s plights to help him. Frustrated, Brett pulled himself up onto the containers and grabbed Liam’s shoulders and shook him to his senses. “For fuck’s sake. What is wrong with you? Do you want to get me killed?” Liam turned his head to Brett and realised what he had done.

“Oh god,” was all he could mutter.

Brett rolled his eyes, grabbed Liam’s hand with a firm grip and set out on a fast jog across the top of the containers. All hope of keeping some sort of cover had been lost at the panic that had just ensued. The original mass of zombies had started to notice their presence and the ones on the edges had begun to fan out in pursuit of their next meal.

Luckily for the boys, humans are faster than zombies.

Not bothering to look around to confirm their fears they ran across the containers only pausing once they ended so as to drop down. They had to push away and slice a few zombies to get to the edge of the industrial compound but once they were there they had to get a proper escape plan.

"The zombies are gonna follow us for miles.” Brett pants, “If even one of them follows our scent the rest will follow. Do you have a place to go?”

Liam looks at Brett awkwardly, unsure as to whether he should share any information.

Brett rolls his eyes, “Well, whatever. I’m an open book and I have a place to go to so if you’re not safe going back to wherever the hell you came from, then follow me. Now.” Brett’s forcefulness really hit Liam. He was prepared to take him in. Both out of curiosity and attraction Liam followed Brett in the direction of the city.

Brett seemed to know the area quite well once they’d reached the city, ducking in between buildings through alleyways Liam wouldn't have noticed. At one point they had to squeeze through a collapsed building because it was a "shortcut". They had both had a long day and Liam could feel the effects of the earlier strain taking its toll.

The sun was just tapping the horizon when they came upon the apartment block Liam had followed Brett to. Liam had to act as if he had never been here so as not to arouse suspicion. As Brett fiddled with the boards and locks on the front door, obviously an intricate system so it looks abandoned to other survivors yet difficult for zombies to get in.

Once inside and Brett was certain that he had resecured the barricaded door Liam took his time to ascertain his surroundings. The entrance room seemed a lot smaller on the inside than it did from the side window in which he had seen Brett the other day. The broken chandelier looked less majestic as Liam had to traverse the glass shards on the floor, stepping in the gaps behind Brett’s feet. Liam always liked architecture and the shattered pieces mimicked his heart at the sight.

They ascended the steps to the first and second floor. As they reach the bottom of the stairs to the third floor, Brett paused and placed a hand on Liam’s chest to stop him. He immediately pulled back, remembering how uptight Liam was about Brett’s physicality.

“Just… wait here a moment. I… I have to check whether you can stay.” Brett seemed nervous. Liam didn’t like it when Brett was nervous. He was supposed to be cool and collected. Brett being nervous made Liam nervous. And nervous Liam was a wreck.

Brett walked up the stairs, making sure Liam wasn’t following for now. _This is totally a trap._ Liam couldn’t help but assume the worst. _They’re not gonna like me. Brett’s girl is not gonna like me. Why would they like me?_

After some time Liam could hear some talking through the floorboards above him. From the deep rumbling Liam figured it was mainly Brett talking, convincing her to let Liam stay.

Liam contemplated leaving. If he left now, Brett couldn’t possibly follow him. He had to leave now though. There was no use bearing the bad news from Brett.

As Liam turned to leave he heard Brett coming back down the stairs. _Here it comes._

“Come on, I want you to meet someone.” _I don’t want to meet her._

Brett led Liam up the stairs and on the landing there were four doors ahead of them, one leading to the roof. Brett went to the first door and pushed it open. Liam held his breath.

“Liam, I want you to meet Lori, my sister.” _Your sister?_ Liam internally punched himself for being overcome with jealously earlier.

The young girl came bounding up to Liam with a beaming smile and gave him a big hug. Liam stood there awkwardly hoping to God that she let go of him soon because he didn’t want to be mean after just meeting her.

“Lor,” Brett hissed, trying to nudge Lori off Liam, “I told you already.” The fact that Brett had told Lori about Liam’s abrasiveness both charmed and annoyed Liam.

“My God, you look starved.” Her eyes were wide, “Let me get you some food.” Lori instantly started prodding Liam and he didn’t like it. He had to admit, though, that he was starting to warm to her already.

“Language, Lori,” Brett was trying to look stern but broke into a smile and picked Lori up by the waist and carried her to the kitchen in the apartment. Liam followed blindly, bemused by the social interaction that he was so unfamiliar with nowadays.

Lori was fiddling with the pots and pans, making a ruckus, while Brett went to the pantry ( _They have a stocked pantry!_ ) to get some ingredients.

Liam just stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether he should try and help or just sit and watch. He didn’t even have experience with this pre-apocalypse, so he had no clue what he should be doing.

Brett looks up from mixing a few things in a bowl and chuckles at Liam.

“You can take a seat at the table behind you, silly, instead of just standing there. You look kind of tired.”

To be honest, Liam was exhausted. He was ready to collapse into his bed right now, but to do that he’d have to brave the streets and the sun had just set. He hoped Brett was kind enough to allow him to stay here, just this one night.

Liam took the time he had to look around the living room. It wasn’t much but there seemed to be a battered bookshelf, only a few shelves remaining, that housed a few novels. What was interesting was the piles of textbooks next to a comfortable chair. Liam sat down and proceeded to browse the titles of the types of books he thought he’d never see again. “Nutrition and Pharmacology”, “Camping and Outdoor Survival”, “Basics of Mechanical Engineering”. It even looked like these had been recently read and some pages were dog-eared. _Brett is such a nerd. A hot nerd at that though._

Liam lay back in the chair and surveyed the rest of the apartment. Aside from the kitchen and living room, it looked like there was only one bedroom off to the side. Liam’s eyelids started to become heavy but just as he was drifting off Brett came to his side and crouched down.

“Hey,” he whispered, “We’ve made some dinner for you. Why don’t you come eat with us and then we’ll get you to bed.” Liam could get used to this.

Over dinner there wasn’t much conversation. At least, not from Liam. Lori was doing most of the talking, telling Brett what she had done today in her school books whilst also pestering Liam with incessant questioning.

“How old are you? What happened to your friends? What’s your favourite colour? What do you do for fun? Are you always this quiet?” Lori kept looking at Brett with a questioning look while Brett tried to calm her down with a not-so-subtle kick to her foot. Brett tried to smile at Liam but it fell short.

Once Liam had finished his food he excused himself and went over to the couch to make arrangements for sleep. Lori and Brett had cleaned up from dinner and went into their room so Liam decided to resign for the night. It had been a long day and Liam’s muscles melted as his head hit the pillow. 

As he closed his eyes and started to drift off Liam heard Brett come over with a blanket and threw it over him. Liam unconsciously murmured a sound of appreciation before Brett headed off to bed himself.

***

Liam’s neck was hurting from the position he had slept in. He was too lazy to open his eyes because his muscles were still sore from the previous day’s antics.

He bolted upright, ignoring the resulting pain reverberating through his body, when he sensed movement around him. It took a second for him to remember his surroundings and once he did he released some of the tension in his muscles.

Leaning up from the couch he could see into the kitchen. And there, stunning as ever was a beautiful, shirtless Brett. Liam almost fainted back onto his pillow but his brain held his eyes in place, recording every movement into his memory.

Brett’s broad shoulders showed well developed neck muscles, perfectly moulded down to his pecs. As his breathed in his whole chest inflated, accentuating each muscle he must have worked incredibly hard on. Even with a relaxed stomach his six pack was showing, and if Liam wasn’t careful he would be ‘showing’ himself because of it. He quickly checked to see if the blanket was still covering his lower half.

“Hey,” Brett spoke up from across the room, “How’d you sleep?”

Liam let out a small grunt, half due to sleepiness and half because he was too captivated by shirtless Brett talking to him to be able to speak.

“Obviously not a morning person either. Are you sure you’re not a zombie? Patient Zero?” Brett chuckled to himself and returned to busying himself in the kitchen. “Shower is just in there.” He pointed to the door next to the kitchen. “You can use my green towel.”

Liam shuffled his was over to the bathroom, careful to keep his body turned from Brett. His waking image of Brett burned into his brain, Liam shed his clothes and stepped under the cold shower. He had to be quick so Brett wouldn’t suspect anything which wouldn’t be as hard as he was now. Liam imagined Brett holding him and putting him to sleep, stroking his face with the back of his hand. And that was it; that was all he needed.

As Liam walked out, Brett had just finished making pancakes. _Fuck you and your housewife perfection._

“I hope you’re hungry. I may have made a bit too much.” Liam was starving, as always. Half the reason he ran out of food at his hideout so fast was because of his teenager appetite.

While they were eating breakfast at the table Lori graced them with her presence. 

“Morning Liam. Morning loser.”

“Good morning to you, dumb dumb.” Brett chided jokingly back. What the hell had Liam got himself into?

“Where’s breakfast?” Lori demanded, Liam still unsure whether she was being serious or not.

“Breakfast is in the bathroom, in the toilet bowl,” Brett retorted, sticking out his tongue at Lori. Liam looked upon the scene with frightened confusion. Growing up as an only child had not prepared him for this verbal onslaught.

Brett noticed Liam’s confusion and giggled. “Did you never tease your siblings?”

Liam averted his eyes awkwardly and looked at his shoes. Brett realised his mistake that Liam was alone so something must have happened to them.

“I’m sorry. You must miss them.”

Liam snorted and rolled his eyes. “There is no one to miss. I am… was an only child.” It had never affected Liam this much. Although the conversation between the brother and sister seemed foreign, it had become something that Liam didn’t even know he was missing out on.

“Oh…” was all Brett could manage. He looked so guilty.

After Liam had finished his breakfast he went back to his bag and started to pack his things up.

“What are you doing?” Brett asked, unsure as to why Liam might be leaving.

“I have to get back home. I have things to do.” And shirtless Brett wasn’t helping him be productive.

“Oh… I just thought you’d want to stay. You know, you can stay with us if you want. Lori really likes you. It’s nice having someone else around for her because I’m sure being stuck with her brother every day gets old really soon.” Brett looked to be almost pleading; not for himself but for Lori. Liam looked into Brett’s eyes, immediately regretting that decision, because they were starting to glass over with a wet sheen.

Liam didn’t know what to say so he kept packing, confirming his decision.

“At least take some supplies. That horde from yesterday could have followed us all the way to the city so be careful.”

Liam nodded and shouldered his backpack. He started off towards the door but only got a few metres before he felt Brett’s hand on his shoulder, turning him around. Liam rolled his shoulder so Brett’s hand fell off.

“Let me walk you downstairs,” Brett held his hand that was just rejected. It wasn’t Liam’s fault he didn’t like being touched. Especially not by people he had only just met. _No one can touch me, not anymore._

When they reached the first floor landing, after enduring two flights of silence, Liam heard Brett sigh.

“I really didn’t think anyone could want to be alone these days. I can’t imagine not having Lori around. But if you insist, I can’t stop you.” Brett stared into Liam’s eyes, making sure that he knew which decision he had made, but let him go.

Brett removed the barricade at the door with shoulders slumped, helping Liam push through before closing it behind him. Liam leaned against the wall next to the door frame, holding back a breath.

“I hope you’ll be ok,” whispered a small deep voice from behind the wooden panelling.

And that was all it said.

***

Liam headed off in the direction of the suburbs, eager to just get home and be alone. He wouldn’t consider himself an introvert but the time he spends with himself was much more beneficial than time spent with others.

As he walked he could feel eyes upon him. His senses were alert and the grip on his rifle was tight. His breathing kept fluctuating between short bursts and breaths that were too long, trying to calm himself.

He’d only gone about a mile or two before his senses really couldn’t go any further. He ducked behind a car wreckage and flipped around, gun raised through the open windows, aimed towards where he had come from.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Liam whispered to himself. He couldn’t stay here all day but he couldn’t risk being followed. He had only seen survivors within the city limits and he wasn’t about to show them the joys of post-apocalyptic suburban living.

It had been over ten minutes of constant alertness. Liam was both stressed and relieved, his brain going over every possibility of trouble multiple times whilst waiting next to the car.

That was when he heard the first groan.

Liam spun around to see the leading zombie shambling around the corner thankfully still a few yards off. Behind it there was a whole mass of zombies, definitely more than Liam could handle.

He had to backtrack. There was no chance he could get around them any time soon. He had to go back a few blocks until he found an alleyway between two large buildings so he could cut through to the next row of streets.

As he entered the next row, there was another horde of zombies waiting for him. _Where the hell are they coming from?_ Either the whole horde of a thousand had followed them or they had coordinated with other hordes. _But zombies can’t coordinate. Zombies aren’t smart._

Liam had to keep going perpendicular to the direction he was heading just to get around them but with each successive new street there were just more zombies. Liam’s brain started to get fuzzy. _This is it. This is how I die._

The zombies had started closing in. Liam couldn’t stop them and there was no point trying to fight them.

He just sat down in the middle of the road.

And waited.

 

…

 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”

Liam felt a large object crash into him and pick him up, continuing to run towards the next line of buildings.

“Gerroffme!” shouted Liam, unable to see his capturer. 

“What were you thinking? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” It dawned on Liam that Brett must have never let Liam out of his sight. Brett released Liam and motioned to start running.

“Were you following me?” hissed Liam as they ran, unsure whether to be angry or relieved.

“Well I sure am glad I did now. Oh my god Liam you can’t just sit in a road full of zombies.”

“I can and will do what I want. I don’t need to follow anything you say.”

“You do if you don’t want to die.”

“Well what if I do?”

Brett stopped running at that, surprised by the unexpected response.

“Do you really want to die?”

“Well, no, but I could if I wanted to.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Liam kept his eyes away from Brett. This wasn’t the time or place for that.

Brett dared to look behind them and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. All the hordes of zombies they had seen had merged into once massive group. It must be the same group as yesterday, otherwise they had two problems.

“Quick, in you go.” They had reached Brett’s apartment and Brett had removed the barricade faster than usual.

_CRACK!_

Brett had been too forceful with the wooden beams and they had cracked from overexertion.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!” Brett was enraged at himself. He threw the half he had broken off across the room with incredible force.

The zombies were at the bottom of the porch stairs.

“Just run!” Brett gave up trying to barricade the broken doorway.

The boys bolted towards the stairs, ignoring any attempts to conceal their position to the advancing force. The first zombie reached the barricade and it collapsed under its weight like it was made out of paper.

“GO!”

The last two flights of stairs went by in a blur.

“Lori! Lori get up and grab the emergency bags! They’ve broken in!” Lori was drawing in a book when they ran through the front door but instantly went into action mode, grabbing the pre-prepared bags from under the kitchen cabinets. They knew this day would eventually come and Liam commended them on their preparedness silently. 

But there was no time for an awards ceremony on who did better in the apocalypse.

“Ok that should be all of it. Liam, take this,” Brett handed him a bag after coming out of the bedroom. Liam took it, trying to be helpful to the person who had _willingly_ saved his life.

Judging by Liam’s expression Brett could tell he was confused about the plan of attack.

“Roof. I’ve got a surprise that I’m sure you’ll love.” _Now was not the time for joking around, Brett._

Exiting out of the apartment and heading away from the stairs they reached the fire escape to the roof. Liam could tell Lori was sad to leave but she seemed determined to stay focused for now.

Once they had reached the roof Liam looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary for a rooftop open area. It wasn’t until Brett pointed out the thicker wires crossing between their building and the next few smaller ones that Liam really realised how prepared the sibling pair was.

Lori was first, obviously having practised this for fun. Holding a thick belt and wrapping it around the wires she didn’t even blink before jumping off and sliding safely to the next building. On her way across she could see the sheer size of the infestation below them. They had surrounded the entire building and were slowly piling in the small double doors at the front.

Meanwhile, back on the first roof, Brett turned to Liam.

“I’m sure you don’t want to jump off but I’m not leaving without you. You’re up next.”

Liam hadn’t even thought he would ever do this. For one, he was afraid of heights and just being on this roof was bad enough. Jumping off was something else entirely.

“Come on!” cried Brett, maybe a little too forcefully, “You have to trust me.”

Brett led Liam to the edge and made sure he was gripping the belt as tight as he could on both sides.

“Please,” he whispered earnestly. Liam’s heart jumped in his chest. _Damn it Brett. For you._ Liam took a step forward and felt his stomach push up into his ribcage but the wind was refreshing as he sped down to the next roof over. Liam only opened his eyes once Lori had caught him in a big hug. But she let go quickly, both out of apology and because she was fixated on Brett’s situation.

Brett was at the edge of the building fiddling with his belt in his hand. Liam couldn’t quite make out what he was doing but when they heard the rooftop door slam open his heartbeat spiked.

Brett looked nervous. Liam didn’t like it when Brett was nervous and it was becoming an increasingly regular occurrence, which didn’t help his mental state.

Brett breathed in before closing his eyes. _Brett said it was safe. Why is he unsure?_

That’s when Liam saw it.

Brett’s belt was weak.

_Damn it Brett you should’ve taken the strongest one for your weight._

The zombies were only a few feet behind Brett before he had to push off. During the descent down time slowed for Liam. The friction was going to burn through the belt and he wasn’t going to make it.

Brett was halfway.

Lori started panicking. She was about to scream but Liam held her to shut her up because they didn’t want to alert the ground zombies to their presence. Her muffled scream vibrated Liam’s hand but he held on tightly.

Just as Brett was about to make it, the belt snapped.

He dropped.

His forward momentum carried him to the edge of the new building and there came a painful thud as his arms stretched across the brick edge and his body came careening into the side.

Liam and Lori rushed to his aid and each grabbed an arm to drag him up and over the wall.

Brett had grazes up and down his arms from the brick grating his exposed skin and Liam knew that bruises would form along his front. But one building wasn’t enough. They had to replicate their previous actions another twofold before they could safely descend to street level.

After Brett caught his breath, they continued over to the next wire. These buildings were at the same level so they would have to shimmy their way across. It was only a few feet but the drop to the floor, exaggerated in Liam’s brain due to Brett’s scare earlier, was devastating.

Again, Lori was first, but Liam insisted that Brett go second. 

Once they were safely across the next two buildings they headed over to the fire escape. 

“Plan of attack,” winced Brett, obviously still slightly out of breath from his collision, “Get down to the street, take out the few zombies down there, then sprint for as long as we can. Liam, which direction?”

Liam was stunned. He hadn’t even thought of where they were heading. He assumed Brett meant his hideout, but Liam hadn’t expected Brett to be so forward about it.

“South. In the suburbs.”

“Perfect, we should be able to lose them there.”

Liam slid down the fire escape swiftly, eager to land on earth. He made quick work of the two zombies in this alley and waited for the other two to head down.

Beckoning them over, they headed south from the back of the buildings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, it may be slightly longer before the next chapter while I think possibilities over.
> 
> Leave a comment and kudos :D


	4. Good Things Never Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to say about this, so enjoy this haiku:
> 
> Please don't hate me now  
> Rollercoaster emotion  
> Oh God, help us all
> 
> I'm sorry that this took so long since the previous chapter. I have been bogged down by digging myself in a hole with making 21st presents for my friend's birthdays coming up that seems to be taking up more time than I had originally thought.
> 
> There will maybe be a long gap between this chapter and the next (hopefully not more than 2 weeks) but I've been really bad with promising timing so don't riot :/
> 
> As always, tell me what you think and leave a kudos <3

### Chapter 4 – Good Things Never Last

They had been walking for over an hour, taking their time to spread their scent across the streets so that it would be lost on the zombies. They may be supernatural but they weren’t smart.

Despite Lori’s size, she dealt pretty well on her feet and had a good stamina. Not once did they have to stop, despite Liam’s constant asking.

“I’m not a baby. I’m a zombie survivor,” declared Lori, proud of herself with her beaming smile matching her short, blonde hair. Brett seemed so chuffed to call her his sister, striding alongside her confidently.

“It’s only because she’s had such a great teacher,” cooed Brett, eager to cut her down a notch.

Lori’s expression instantly changed to disgruntlement, punching her brother lightly in the arm.

“Hey, ow!” Brett faked a pout, but the edges curled up on one side, “Normally, I would be mad but I have definitely taught you how to fight as well.” This teasing only made Lori angrier and Liam couldn’t help but laugh at the barrage of punches against Brett’s arm.

“Ok, actually ow now. I think my bruises are starting to become visible.”

“Oh, sorry,” apologised Lori, retracting her arms back to her sides.

“It’s ok, I’m just gonna have to get revenge on you when I’m better,” Brett lunged at her sides, tickling her until she broke into her girlish laughter.

Even though he hated being tickled, somehow the thought of Brett doing it to him made him swoon. Liam so wished that he had had siblings, almost as much as he wanted Brett to be tickling him. 

Once Liam was born, his parents had tried to have another child but there had been some medical complications. That was about the time when his father had started drinking. Whether this was a result of the lack of pregnancy or the other way around, Liam did not know. All he knew was that that was the first crack in their little family. And just as glass shatters, so did his life.

\---

_“Where do you think you’re going?” the gruff voice slurred, “Get back in your room.”_

_“I’m meeting a friend.” Liam cried back, “I’ll be back later.”_

_“How dare you. Did you just talk back to me?”_

_“No.”_

_“You are talking back.”_

_“No, I’m not.”_

_“I swear to God, boy, you better not say another word.”_

_Liam had to bite his tongue to stop it from spitting out his fate._

_“Did you just try talk back?”_

_“No!”_

_“What did I just say?” By now, Liam’s dad had stormed over to him and held him up against the wall by the scruff of his collar. He lowered his voice but the force was still there. “You piece of shit. You’ve ruined what good I had left in my life.” Liam could almost finish his dad’s speech for him, after hearing it for the last few years. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”_

_“What are you doing?!” Liam almost broke down into tears at the sound of his mother’s voice. “Let him go. Now!” His mother’s voice wobbled with fear but it was stern nonetheless._

_Liam’s dad dropped his voice to a whisper, so only Brett could hear, “I’m not done with you.” He released Liam, pushing him back into the wall. “Good evening, lovely,” the word ‘lovely’ being overstretched by his drunkenness._

_“I don’t want to talk to you.”_

_“But, babe, I wanna talk to you. I want to know how -your- -day- -was-,” the last three words emphasised with each prod into her arm._

_Liam’s mum brushed past his dad, but she didn’t get far as his hand grabbed her wrist and spun her back around, pulling her into a sloppy kiss. “I missed you sooooo much.”_

_She managed to slide her hands up between them, breaking the kiss and nudging him backwards. Liam looked on with disgust, trying to forget what would inevitably follow. He tried to keep his anger concealed, balling his fists up at his sides and beginning to aim towards the wall and not his dad’s face in case he needed to lash out._

_But to no avail, his dad noticed him flaring up and knew how to provoke him._

_“Oh, is our widdle Wiam getting angwy? Why don’t you come and fight me? Come on, I’m an open target.” Liam knew it was a trap. He had fallen for it before and he knew he couldn’t win. But he also couldn’t win against his uncontrollable senses. Once his father had stepped up closer he swung his first punch towards his face._

_Liam’s dad expertly parried it to the side, phasing out of his drunkenness, and retaliated with a solid punch to Liam’s face with an explosion of blood. He was out cold as his head smashed against the floor._

_It must have been a few hours until he woke up because there was a cold sensation on his nose._

_“Hey, baby, don’t move just yet,” his mother’s sobbing voice willing him back to consciousness. He opened his one eye that wasn’t swollen and saw an equally bruised mother, lying on the ground next to him, holding an ice pack to his face but nothing against hers._

_And just like that, his world faded to black again._

\---

“Hey, Liam,” Brett’s cheerful voice bringing him back just like his mother’s had. Brett was looking over Liam, a concerned look scrunching his face up. “What’s up?”

Liam ignored the question and turned his face forward, continuing to walk unspoken.

“Anyway, as we were discussing, are you Team Jacob or Team Edward?” _Jacob, duh._

“What?” queried Liam, trying to at least be sociable.

“Twilight. Werewolf or vampire?” piped Lori, eager to scope out Liam.

“Umm… Jacob?”

An audible groan escaped Lori’s mouth while Brett held a triumphant smile. Liam almost commended Brett in his taste in men. Almost.

“Werewolves are obviously just so much better, eh Liam?” _Yeah, because that’s the reason I choose Jacob over Edward. Have you seen Jacob?_

Liam just forced a smile at Brett, focusing more on the road ahead. They were getting close to the suburbs, which meant that he would be home soon. They would be home soon. _Oh God I have to live with them, with Brett. With shirtless Brett._ Liam’s mornings were about to pick up.

When they reached Liam’s street Liam pointed out his markers so that they’d always know how to get home. These subtle scratches in the paint on the house were perfect for these newcomers in case they got lost.

Liam reached the front door of his house and placed his hand on the door handle. _Did I forget to tidy up? Oh well._ Pushing open the door, Liam ushered Brett and Lori into the living room.

“Umm… welcome, I guess. You guys can take the living room couches. The bathroom is through there and that’s about it.”

“What’s through the tarp?” Brett pointed to a doorway covered in a large blue tarp.

“That’s the outside. A tree fell on the house last year and I haven’t had the resources to fix it, so I keep away from that area. I mean, until now, I haven’t needed the space.” Liam shrugs, content with his little place but unsure whether he might get claustrophobic with too many people.

“I could help you out,” Brett suggested. _Already willing to help out._

Lori went straight for the biggest couch, beating out Brett for comfort. She immediately started unpacking their small amount of emergency resources. Brett seemed hesitant to unpack so quickly, unsure whether Liam would wanted them to overcrowd him.

Liam could see Brett’s uncertainty and went up close to him. “You can stay as long as you want. I… I’m just glad I could be there for you guys.”

Brett placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder and, surprisingly for Brett, Liam didn’t brush it off.

While the siblings unpacked in the living room, transforming it into a makeshift bedroom, Liam took stock of their food. Brett and Lori had some rations in their bags but it only saved them an extra two days. So far they would only last a week.

Liam returned to the living room to break the bad news.

“Ok, so having three of us here isn’t sustainable. We need to go out before the end of the week and gather more food. I assume you guys eat whatever you can get so I’m up for hunting if you guys wanna hit the shops.” Liam liked hunting. He would need the time off away from them, even if they were good company.

“Lori won’t want to go out,” Brett defended, “She’ll stay here while we go. Why don’t you show me the area, where is good hunting and more of those markers?” 

Liam could tell Brett wanted to leave Lori alone. Whether it was to talk to him alone or to give Lori some space, he could not tell. _Oh God, is he going to kill me and take my shelter? No, Brett wouldn’t do that. Would he?_ Liam was nervous to be alone with Brett, both because Brett was Brett and that Liam feared for his life.

“Sure, let me just get my stuff,” Liam responded hesitantly, a little less compliant than Brett may have wanted.

Liam returned to his bedroom and gathered his hunting supplies. His heartbeat was racing more than it should have been but Liam wasn’t the one to decide how fast his heart ran. With a lot of blood rushing to his brain, Liam had to sit down on the edge of the bed and hold his head to try and compress the throbbing.

_Breathe, Liam. He’s not going to kill you. He’s not going to slit your throat. He’s not going to tie you up and leave you for the zombies. I don’t want to be become a zombie. Then don’t let Brett tie you up. Simple._

“Liam?” a light knock came on the slightly ajar door and Lori peered her head around the side, “Do you have – Oh,” Liam snapped his head up, painfully. 

“Mmm, hey Lori.”

“Liam, are you ok?” whispered Lori as she closed the door and sat on the bed next to Liam.

“Do you like your brother?” Liam whispered, hands still around his head holding the throbbing in.

“What sort of a question is that? He’s the best!” Lori realised that his question was serious and quickly retracted her answer. “I mean, he’s protected me forever, even before the zombies came. We went through a tough time as kids.” Lori sighed before turning to Liam, “Our parents died just after I was born and every time we were assigned new foster parents, Brett refused to have us separated. He’s not just my brother. He’s my best friend. He would do anything for me.”

Liam let his hands fall into his lap with a heavy sigh. “How far would he go to protect you?”

Lori’s eyes squinted as they stared into Liam’s icy blue eyes. “He wouldn’t hurt you Liam. He wouldn’t have introduced you to me in the first place if he didn’t trust you.”

Liam blinked back tears until his heartbeat matched Lori’s. A stuttering breath of relief escaped his lips as he stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, his rifle to his side. As he opened the door to leave he paused and, without looking back, whispered a small thank you to Lori.

***

“I’m sorry that we asked so much of you, Liam.” It had been an hour of walking around the overgrown suburbs, scouting out Liam’s hunting grounds. While they had only made small talk of things they had done to survive and about Liam’s craftsmanship at the house, they hadn’t touched on any serious topics and Liam could read on Brett’s face that he had been troubled by something.

“What… what do you mean?” Liam asked, unsure as to Brett’s direction.

“Us, staying with you. We can leave whenever you want.” Brett sighed, “Liam, I know you don’t trust me. I know you don’t want us, or anyone else, around. I don’t understand it, but I _can_ comprehend it.” Brett stopped walking and turned to Liam. “We are here for you as much as you are for us. No one can survive alone.”

 _I’ve done a pretty good job so far._

But Liam had to admit, there are times when he desired to hear things other than his own self-deprecating thoughts. However Liam didn’t know how to respond. How could this guy, who has only known him for a day, be able to read him so easily? He thought he was able to hide his self from everyone, especially his parents.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know.” Brett commences walking again, leaving a stunned Liam in his dust.

Liam jogged to catch up to Brett, keeping his head pointed up towards Brett like a puppy waiting for its next treat.

Brett couldn’t help smirking. “It’s a wonder you had any friends before all this, with your lovely sociability.”

Liam blushed bright red, and if that didn’t set off Brett’s laugh then Liam doesn’t know what did. It was a good sound, and Liam could get used to it. Brett noticed Liam’s little smile under his ducked head.

“I see that little smile, Li,” the abrupt nickname catching in Liam’s heart, “I knew I could make you smile eventually. No one can be _that_ unhappy.”

Liam smiled up at Brett.

“That’s better. Now keep that smile for as long as you can for me.” Brett winked at Liam before taking a sip of his water. A few drops spilled down his chin and Liam watched them trace the veins on his neck and drip down into his shirt.

“So no siblings, what about friends? Girlfriends?” Brett raised his eyebrows at Liam, keen to continue his trend of happiness.

“Well, I had my best friend, Mason, and my two lacrosse teammates, Scott and Stiles.” Liam drifted off back into his memory of his three friends. He also partly did it to avoid Brett’s second question. But Brett pushed further.

“Ok, and the giiiiiirlfriends?”

“I was fifteen, ok? I didn’t have a girlfriend.”

“So what, I had my first girlfriend at fourteen.” Brett puffed up his chest as he acted so proud of himself. 

_Damn it, he’s straight._

But Liam was curious. “Did you have a girlfriend before it happened?”

Brett grimaced for a second and Liam thought he had overstepped the line.

“Technically I had one, but she moved to New York for college and I stayed here in Angelwood.”

“Why did you stay?”

“I couldn’t leave Lori.” Brett didn’t continue and Liam didn’t want to probe further. “What about you? Surely I would’ve seen you around.”

“I went to school in Beacon Hills actually. It’s a small town in Cali.”

“Oh, I know Beacon Hills. That was one of the first places we lived as foster kids. But we’ve been all over America now. Boy, you must’ve travelled a fair way to get here.” Brett looked at Liam bewildered

“Originally I never wanted to leave Beacon Hills, but it got overrun and… well there was no one there left for me.” Liam looked down at his feet.

“Hey, hey,” soothed Brett, his hand grazing Liam’s arm, “You don’t have to answer, I was just curious.”

Liam sniffed, “You probably think I’m temperamental, don’t you. Oh God, I can just imagine your thoughts right now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve lived with a younger sister my whole life, this is normal for me.”

“It shouldn’t be normal,” Liam scolded.

Brett pursed his lips to silence the conversation.

They continued walking around for another hour, just as the sun started to set. Brett had successfully memorised most of the layout of the surrounding streets so Liam was confident he could handle himself.

It had been mostly silent travelling, neither of them wanting to break the silence.

When they reached the house they could smell something good wafting through the open window. Both boys leaned into the smell, stomachs rumbling after the day’s exercise.

“Smells good, Lor. What did you make?” Brett slid into one of the seats at the kitchen counter, eyeing the pot hungrily.

“Well I went out to the backyard and there is an overgrown vegetable and herb garden.” Lori looked over at Liam who was wide-eyed and clearly had no clue what she was talking about.

“You can’t be serious. How long have you lived here?” Lori was visibly stumped. “You’ve been out trying to hunt for food and you have almost a thousand potatoes and other vegetables just sitting behind you? What the hell do you do with your time?”

“Lori, give him a break, he’s stayed alive at least.” Brett stood up in between both of them.

Liam just looked to the side awkwardly and rubbed his neck. He mumbled something sarcastic but it went unnoticed by the pair.

“Regardless, eat some food and maybe you’ll remember what it tastes like.” Lori jokingly rolled her eyes at Liam before putting the plates on the table. 

Over dinner Brett traced out his plan for the house.

“I know of a few things that we could do to the walls on the other side of that tarp. We could reinforce it with the timber from the tree and then we might be able to move the tiles from other houses and cover the roof.”

Liam just leaned on his fists, admiring how enthusiastic Brett was about the new construction project, lost in his green eyes.

***

Over the next few days, Lori was strict about the amount of effort Brett exerted so that he could heal his bruises and grazes. Brett had refused to take painkillers because the pain “didn’t exist”. Lori wasn’t impressed.

While Brett planned out the measurements for the timber, Liam went back to his sketchbook. Lori seemed to share his knack for creativity and transformed the living room coffee table into a paint board.

“I use water colours nowadays because it requires less materials and I can make some of it naturally.”

Lori enjoyed painting landscapes. More often than not it was countryside with a building or two but sometimes she would create a cityscape with a harbour. One of the small towns looked a bit like Beacon Hills and Liam asked Lori if he could hang it up on his wall of sketches in his bedroom when it dried. Lori was touched and beamed for the rest of the day.

Liam, on the contrary, preferred sketching people. Up until now he had very little source material and it was difficult for Liam to remember or even just make up faces and ideas. But here he had two living springs of creativity, so his sketching finger twitched to get back at it.

Liam started by tracing out Lori kneeling at the coffee table, paint brush in one hand and pots of water colours around her. The paper in front of her spanned a green hillside with a barn and a wisp of smoke melting into the background. Liam ignored most of the furniture in his sketch, mostly because it was too rectangular, too rigid and strict. He admired the asymmetry and diversity of bodies, the way he could transcribe the contortions with just a stick of graphite.

Lori’s short blond hair fell over her eyes as she looked down, intensely concentrating on creating darker shades with water without tearing the paper.

To any other person, it would look like Liam drew her face a little too sharp but Liam had to find a way to show her determination and stubbornness in one picture. Liam was really intrigued by the fifteen year old. She was basically a young adult, mothering Brett, but Liam was sure that she was doing that before the breakout.

Liam finished his sketch but kept it in his sketchbook, Lori remaining unaware to his little project. Liam had shown both of them the sketches on his wall – his little gallery – of his friends and his mother, or what he could remember of them. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Lori intuitively knew he would draw her eventually. Lucky for Liam, her being so engrossed in her artwork meant that she barely moved the entire afternoon; the perfect centrepiece.

“You never know,” Brett had said when Liam was playing art curator, “You could still totally open an art gallery. Maybe those zombies could become cultured.” Liam couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the absurdity of that comment. Brett seemed pretty proud of himself making Liam laugh like that.

After they had been their little group for a week, and Brett’s bruises had faded to a purple tinge, there was an uneasy tension between Brett and Liam. While Brett had wanted to go out a lot, stretching his legs and get some fresh air, Liam had taken the motherly role and wanted to keep him inside so he could heal properly.

“Come on, Brett, you’re still not at 100%.”

“I haven’t been at 100% for almost two years now,” Brett retaliated whiningly.

Liam stepped back, concerned. After a few moments he finally spoke, with a bit of restraint, “Why would you even need to go back to the apartment?”

Brett opened his mouth slightly, ready to respond but Lori interjected, rolling her eyes. “He thinks he can save the world.” 

Liam looked gobsmacked. “What the hell does that even mean?” raising his voice higher than he would have liked.

“It doesn’t concern you, Liam. Just let me do what I want and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“No, Brett, I can’t have you going out alone while you’re injured.”

“Then come with me. It’ll at least make the journey more fun.” Brett tries to smile at Liam but it rebounds against his favour.

“I am NOT going back there,” Liam’s eyes starting to burn.

“Fine! But I am, and you can’t stop me.”

Liam closed his eyes and spoke in a stern whisper, “Brett.”

Brett was already halfway to the front door before turning around with an unforeseen ferocity, “Hey, I wouldn’t have to go back there and risk my life if you hadn’t been so stupid as to lead them to my home.” Brett’s hand covered his mouth. His eyes gave away his shock at what just fell out of his mouth. “Liam…”

“Leave.”

“But Liam, I’m…”

“I said, leave.”

Brett turned his body, keeping his eyes trained on Liam who refused to look away from staring at the floor. And just like that, he was gone.

Liam stood still for a solid five minutes, not daring to move in fear of accepting what just happened. _I just signed his death wish._

Lori slowly stepped her way over to Liam, making sure she was always in his eye line so as not to frighten him. “Liam?” Lori placed a hand on his face. “Liam, I need you to say something. Anything.”

“’S my fault.” Liam mumbled to himself.

“What?”

“It’s my fault he’s gone and got himself killed.” Liam enunciated, hissing at himself, covering his eyes from Lori.

“What are you talking about?”

“I let him leave, Lori!” screaming into his hands.

“Brett’s just hot-headed and stubborn. You have to ignore him.”

“I can’t ignore him! I just let him walk to his death.” Liam fell to his knees and had his palms on the cold wooden floor.

“Liam you can’t blame yourself, he was going to leave regardless.”

“It doesn’t matter. I let him do it.”

Lori sat cross-legged in front of Liam, rubbing his arms to try and calm him down. “Liam, honey, I need you to breathe deeply. Come on, breathe with me.”

Liam stared at the floorboards until his vision came back into focus. He painfully lifted his head up to see Lori holding his arms, cross-legged, eyes closed in a meditative stance. Resuming a slightly more normal breathing pattern, he continued to stare blankly at Lori, stumped as to how she could so quickly calm him. Not even his best friend, Mason, could do that so fast.

“You’ve only known him for a week. You care a lot more than you think you do.”

Liam rubbed the back of his neck dismissively. _You have no idea._

Lori squinted one eye as she leaned in towards Liam. “Liam?” she asked curiously. Her eyes went wide before continuing in an excited squeak. “Do you like my brother?”

“Not so loud!” exclaimed Liam, not even sure why as there was no one around them. His whole face had heated up and had spread to his shoulders. This was technically the second person he had voluntarily admitted it to, and the first person who hadn’t ridiculed him about it.

Lori giggled, “I knew it!”

Liam chuckled softly, acknowledging how silly he was being. “Thank you, Lori. Really.”

Lori dropped her hands to his knees and whispered, “He’s a teddy bear, really. Huggable on the outside and soft and squishy on the inside.” Liam’s heart twinged with a sharp pain before Lori stood up and left him to wallow in his own thoughts.

It had been over two hours of Liam pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, Lori offering to make him tea but he refused because “it’s just leaf water”.

“It’ll calm your nerves. One of my foster mother’s got me into it,” Lori relented, gazing anxiously over at Liam who was distracting her from her new artwork.

“He should’ve been back by now.”

“Why don’t you go find him?”

“Because I don’t want to find a Brett shaped zombie attacking me!” Liam reeled around and shouted at Lori. He recoiled and furrowed his eyebrows. “Sorry.”

“I’m not going to sit here and watch you tear yourself apart. You can both handle yourselves and together you’ll be fine. Just go find him.”

“I should go find him. Yeah, I’m gonna go find him,” Liam stood up straight like he came to this conclusion all by himself. Lori just rolled her eyes.

In another minute he was out the door, leaving Lori shaking her head in his wake.

***

Retracing his footsteps Liam could effortlessly make his way back to Brett’s old district. He stopped at the bottom of the ladder which they left by last week. He didn’t even need to glance around the corner to know that there was still a horde of zombies waiting outside the apartment.

As he reached the top of the roof he could see some zombies on the furthest roof from him, Brett’s roof. _Oh God, I hope he’s ok._

Just as he thought that the roof door slammed open and Brett came bursting out, cradling what seemed to be a very heavy bag. The zombies on the roof were ready for him and immediately closed off his exit. _Fuck, come on Brett._ He managed to jump around the air vents, kiting them into a large group rather than a spread out line. With one final leap he launched himself towards to zipline and grabbed the other end of his belt to safely slide down to the next building. As Brett glanced back towards the zombies Liam could see a little smirk on his face. But it was gone the instant he looked forward and saw Liam on the far roof.

Brett shyly made his way back over the two wires towards Liam’s roof, avoiding eye contact with Liam as he climbed. As he landed in front of Liam, he brushed of some of the dust on his clothes, trying to break the tension. Liam doesn’t know what to say, and doesn’t want to say something, so he just charges and Brett and wraps his arms around Brett’s waist. Liam closed his eyes and held Brett close.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Liam whispered into Brett’s chest.

Brett didn’t say anything. He just snaked his arms over Liam’s shoulders and stood there in silence together.

“We should probably get going,” hummed Brett after neither of them had said anything for a few minutes, “It’s getting darker and Lori might be getting worried.” _If you think Lori was worried, you should’ve seen me._

The boys made their way back down the ladder, concerned by the number of zombies that had started to amble their way around the corner into the alleyway.

“Fuck, they just don’t let up, eh Liam?”

Liam just snarled silently at the zombies before turning the other way, headed home. 

They hadn’t gone far before they knew they were being followed. Liam knew it wasn’t just the zombies either. While they were running Liam subtly craned his neck around, searching nearby shadows and buildings for any irregular shapes. He could’ve sworn he saw a glint of reflection coming from an open window a few stories up in a building across the street, but it could have just been a trick of the light. He took a double take and missed it.

The boys kept running. The zombie horde kept following.

They finally reach Liam’s first marker, where Lori was waiting expectantly, preparing a bat for their guests following.

“Finally,” she breathes loudly, “We have to move.”

Liam shakes his head, “We’re too close. They’ll follow us home from here. We need to lead them away.” He turns his head to Brett, “I’m sorry, we have to stay out tonight.”

“Ok, just let me leave my bag here.” Brett pushed the bag through the open window of the house next to them before they all turned and headed in a different direction.

Wrong choice.

They encountered a new group of zombies, albeit a slightly smaller pack.

“We’re flanked,” squeaked Liam nervously, shifting eyes between the new group and the old pack a few hundred feet down the road, “They’re closing in on us.” His hatchet started shaking with the unmistakable signs of his anxiety approaching.

“Move!” screamed Brett as he pushed them down an alley, no longer worrying about stealth.

But for every step they took, it seemed another zombie would join the horde.

“What the actual fuck! This isn’t natural!” Brett screamed, slowly becoming more and more breathless.

“None of this is natural! When did you ever fucking think this was fucking natural?” Liam blurt out. He bit the inside of his bottom lip to prevent any more curses spilling out but Brett kept on running, pursing his lips tightly, breathing through his nose forcefully.

“Would you two quit it? In case you hadn’t noticed, we don’t have time for your bickering.” Lori pushed her way between them so there was at least a gap between them while they ran.

They kept running through alleyways and shadows and when they reached the end of one of them, they ran into a small group of ten zombies. They were too close to change direction and their momentum was their downfall. Luckily Brett already had his arm up as they rounded the corner and could take out two of them with a slash and pull back.

Each of them had their own worries – Liam to the right, Brett the centre and Lori the left. No time to plan, just fight.

Liam swung his hatchet up and beheaded a zombie, shoving it into another one so they toppled over. Brett, meanwhile, had sliced the few around him and had unsheathed his dagger, taking a few of Lori’s zombies for her. Lori, with only a bat to protect her, was bludgeoning a zombie’s head until it collapsed in front of her. Her face was stricken with fear, obviously never having engaged many zombies before with Brett to protect her. Her blonde hair had become spattered in blood, covering her white shirt in gore.

Liam turned his attention back to the zombies in front of him. The few that had fallen over had started to scramble on the floor towards his ankles. Trying to multitask with his hatchet while stomping the crippled fingers proved to be more difficult than first anticipated. Liam was tripping over his own feet, at the worst possible moment. 

He felt a strong hand grip his shoulder, but it only gripped material which proceeded to slip through the fingers. The granite pavement came up to bite Liam’s cheek and a bloodcurdling scream echoed in his ears as his vision became dizzy.

Before he knew it he was being dragged along the ground by his shoulders, heaving for him to stand up. He somehow found his legs but he couldn’t see.

“Brett…” his voice was hoarse and dry, “Brett.”

The scream still banged around in his head, never ceasing to build and ring his ears so Brett’s voice was but a whisper. He didn’t have to focus his eyes to know the source and reason for the scream.

“Liam get up,” Brett cried, “Please,” His voice was becoming desperate, “I need you to hold her down.”

“Brett, no! We don’t have time,” Lori pleaded against her brother’s will.

“If I don’t cut it off now, you won’t have time!”

Lori’s hand was so covered in blood that her bat had slipped from her hand. A visible indent between her forefinger and thumb was present, the perpetrator long since decapitated.

“What then, Brett?” Lori’s eyes crying with desperation, “You’ll just get overrun.” Lori held Brett’s chin in her good hand and tilted his head so that he could stare straight into her eyes. “Just… let me do this for you.” A small smile crept onto her lips, “You’ve done so much for me. Mom would be proud.”

Lori pulled back from Brett and picked up two trash can lids. Her hands were shaking as she did it, already becoming numb. _Ten minutes numb, one hour done._ Scott’s words echoed in Liam’s head.

Lori turned her head with glossy eyes to Brett, “Goodbye, loser.” She took off running, banging the lids all the way across the street.

“Goodbye, dumb dumb,” Brett choked against the wind.

Brett held Liam down in the shadows behind a dumpster while the zombie horde followed the clanging of metal on metal.

***

It was well past midnight before Brett made a sound. The zombies had all moved past hours ago but he wanted to make sure they were all gone. Liam wasn’t sure if that was the only reason, but the drops that had landed on his head had confirmed this. Brett had held on tightly to Liam the entire time, never daring to loosen his grip. While Liam thought it was a bit uncomfortable after his leg had gone to sleep, he didn’t mind being this close to Brett. _He just lost his sister you selfish, horny bastard._

Once Liam shook his foot awake he untangled himself from Brett’s arms and stood up, offering a hand to pull Brett up. It took a few seconds for Brett to realise what was happening, a small part of him not wanting to leave for fear of accepting what just happened. But he only raised his hand, not breaking his gaze at the wall.

_Come on, Brett. I need you now._

Liam held Brett’s hand tightly in his own, half dragging him along through alleyways and shadows while Brett stumbled along behind him, barely blinking.

Liam kept turning around to check on Brett, knowing he was still there physically by the touch of his hand, but he still furrowed his eyebrows each time.

Under the dark of night and with no zombies around, it didn’t take them too long to get home. Liam’s brain was racing but his muscles screamed with tiredness.

Liam pushed open the front door with his shoulder, pulling Brett along into the living room. It took a lot of effort to direct him around the coffee table, and Lori’s unfinished artwork, and onto the couch. 

He stepped back from the couch, leaving his hands positioned on each of Brett’s shoulders, looking into his eyes. There is no response from them. No wavering, no dilation of pupils, just solid black circles with a crystal green iris, staring through Liam to the opposite wall.

Liam gave Brett a light shake, rubbing his thumbs over his shoulders, but to no avail. He took another step back, hesitantly removing his hands but keeping them close in case Brett falls over. But he was rigid. His muscles had been tensed this whole time and there was no way he could fall over.

A chilly breeze blew through the open window, so Liam went to close it and relight the fire which had been out all day. _Only a few weeks until winter._

He went about opening some cans of food so that they could eat something seeing as it had been over 12 hours since their last meal. Liam placed a bowl down on the coffee table in front of Brett, not daring to try and spoon feed him in his catatonic state.

As he placed the bowl down, he realised he had to clean up Lori’s paint supplies, else Brett come to his senses only to relapse. But his hands couldn’t stop trembling. _I need Brett to wake up. I need Brett. I need… sleep._

He left Brett’s food untouched, in case Brett became aware during the night. He cleared the rest and tidied the kitchen, planning in his head how he was going to survive if he had to take care of two bodies. As he was getting into his bed, he heard a thump from the living room and ran to see if Brett was ok.

His body had collapsed from exhaustion and he was passed out on the couch. Liam picked up his blanket from on the floor and threw it over him, tucking him in for the emotional journey he had to overcome.

Without thinking, he shifted his head over Brett’s forehead and placed his lips on it gently.

“Goodnight, Brett,” he whispered, “Sleep now.”

***

Unsurprisingly, Liam woke before Brett, although he might have been conscious but immovable. Regardless, Liam left a note saying he was going hunting and, just for effect, a small sketch of a bunny in a cage.

Liam left Brett on the couch and stepped out into the early morning rays. For some reason the grass seemed greener than he had realised. He was leaving damp footprints in the dew. It was cold in the shade but the sun on his face and other exposed skin was welcoming.

Liam leapt over the barrier of the highway, skipped over the corpse he had killed the other day and proceeded into the woods. This would be one of his last chances before winter set in and he would have to find the hibernation holes of the animals. That was the hardest part, especially once a few inches of snow had set in and covered the entrances.

So he had to be efficient today. Who knew what tomorrow would spring upon them.

The brightness of the sun was a warm contrast to the bleak surroundings around Liam. As he trudged through the trees with his rifle around his shoulder, he felt somewhat comforted by the peace and quiet, not that it was a change from his current circumstances. There was a sort of familiarity to this situation that he neither liked nor disliked at the same time. 

He had only been out of the house for just over an hour before he spotted a few rabbits. As he followed them to their burrow he fetched some carrots out of his bag that he had grabbed from the convenient vegetable garden in his backyard. Seriously though, who the hell would have thought that there was a vegetable garden right next to him? Liam remembered Lori’s death glare at him, trying to figure out if he was actually that stupid or not.

But Liam wasn’t stupid. At least, not that he knew of. He had a lot of hands on skills and there wasn’t a real need for book smarts out here where there were no tests. _Fuck yes, no exams._ That was the worst thing about school. Well, the worst thing about classes. There was a lot worse in the hallways, in the locker room, outside the school grounds.

Liam breathed in a big gust of air through his nose, closing his eyes in a meditative stance, before continuing on, attempting to release the tension that he had just remembered.

_Liam._

No, let it go.

_Yo, Liam._

Don’t let it get to you.

_Oi, Fuckface!_

Liam swung his hatchet into the nearest tree trunk.

_What, am I not your type? How rude._

There was sniggering in Liam’s ears. He would give anything to cut them off, but his hatchet was lodged halfway through a tree trunk, the sharp edge barely visible anymore.

A bush behind him rustled, jolting him with enough strength to yank his hatchet out of the tree. He spun around and threw the axe towards the sound and was met with a resounding, meaty squelch. Dinner had fallen for the carrots. There was no use carrying everything back so he skinned and salted it there and then.

It only took a few more minutes to catch more rabbits, hovering over the hole in the ground with hand held high hungrily. He could almost smell the meat cooking already but he decided to head back and share his hunt with Brett, if he was awake.

***

Liam carefully tiptoed inside the front door, cautious to wake Brett if he was still asleep. It was around midday but Liam could empathise with Brett’s emotions right now. To be the last member of a survival group takes a few weeks to get used to. But at least Brett wasn’t alone, unlike Liam was.

But Brett was awake. He hadn’t moved from where Liam had left him, but his eyes were open, staring at the floorboards, lying on his stomach with a hand grazing the ground.

“Br…Brett?” Liam voice shaking all of a sudden. “Brett?” No response, just a blank stare towards the ground. Liam’s breath hitched in his throat. He quickly dropped his bags at the door and shuffled awkwardly to his room to hide his approaching tears from Brett. He closed the door a little too swiftly so the bang shook the hinges.

Liam started busying himself around the map on his bedside table to distract himself. He rubbed out the shading near the edge of the forest as the zombies seemed to have cleared that area now. 

One of these days he would have to expand his explored area, dictated by a grey line through the middle of the city. But there were too many variables. Liam knew of other survivor group hideouts in the areas he hadn’t explored yet but had never been brave enough to venture that far. But now he had Brett, and Brett was more intimidating, he hoped.

As Liam pored over the map, engrossed in detailing every nook and cranny, he heard the floorboards creak in the living room. He paused, looking over to the door, expecting Brett to come in, but there was nothing. Liam decided to give him some space, mainly because he wouldn’t have known what to say anyway.

Lam returned to the map, marking areas of interest in pencil, measuring distances and planning routes. Angelwood wasn’t a big city, but it was in no way small. From what Liam had seen of the industrial sector and one of the suburban sectors, there must’ve been quite a population here. The industrial sector in the west, being a coastal city, was largely trading docks and warehouses. The north-eastern suburban sector, as far as Liam could see from his map, was mainly apartment complexes or smaller houses. Then there was Liam’s house in the southern suburbs.

Brett’s old place had been almost right in the centre of the city, right on the edge of Liam’s explored area, so hopefully he knew what was beyond. If they were to find anything useful, they would have to head that way. The problem was, it was a good two hour journey each way, meaning they would have to set out early, or find a place to hide away for the night. Unfortunately for Liam, his brain didn’t like either option as the risks were too high either way. But the risk of starvation was worse.

Liam’s thought process was interrupted by a loud crash that sounded like a bookshelf had fallen over. He rushed out through his bedroom door and saw Brett standing over a mess of paper and broken wooden shelving.

“Brett? Are you ok?” Liam asked, exasperated. Brett spun around swiftly, eyeing Liam with a grimace.

“Where is she?” he questioned gruffly.

Liam took a step back. _What was he talking about? _His eyes passed over the coffee table and saw an almost empty bottle of Johnnie Walker. Liam’s eyebrows twitched as memories of alcohol mixed with grief came to the forefront of his mind.__

___Not you too._ _ _

__“I said, where is she?!” Brett stormed towards Liam, stumping his shin on the coffee table and toppling over, spilling Lori’s dirty paint water all over her unfinished piece. Brett looked up from the floor, his limbs contorting over his body and his eyes wide. “What the fuck did you just do?”_ _

__“Brett, just calm down.”_ _

__Brett stopped getting up just as he got to his knees. He looked up at Liam through his fringe that had fallen over his eyes. “Did you just fucking talk to me? You didn’t answer my question. Where -THE FUCK- is my sister?” Brett pushed off his knees and tackled Liam to the ground. Liam’s legs collapsed under Brett’s weight and his back smashed against the kitchen tiles._ _

__“Brett! Brett, what the fuck?” Liam wrestled Brett on the ground, trying to regain control of the situation. Even though Liam was a foot shorter than Brett, he had surprising strength to his build._ _

__They were too evenly matched for a result to come about, and they both tired soon after._ _

__Brett eventually pinned Liam’s legs to the ground, holding him down by straddling him and pushing Liam’s arms above his head. Brett’s hands were big enough to hold both Liam’s wrists in one hand, while the other twisted the front of his shirt in a fist._ _

__Brett leant in close and hissed in Liam’s face, “When I found out what you did with her, you are going to wish I had killed you right now.” There was an inferno burning in the blacks of Brett’s eyes that Liam hadn’t seen in anyone for a very long time. It was a fire that couldn’t go away easily and Liam was all too familiar with the resulting consequences against himself._ _

__Brett let go of Liam’s shirt, throwing him further into the ground and back into his mind. He looked up slowly, seeing the bedroom door that Liam had come through earlier. He pierced his inferno back into Liam’s eyes. “What are you doing to her in there?” he shouted angrily._ _

__Brett kicked up onto his feet, drunkenly tripping over Liam’s chest with a hard kick. He stormed in Liam’s bedroom and started tearing up the sheets and slamming open the closet doors. Liam could hear him screaming Lori’s name with each successive attempt, afraid to actually enter the bedroom and try to defuse Brett’s hot temper._ _

Liam rolled onto his chest, hands poised below his body before pushing up into a crouching position. He closed his eyes and stutteringly breathed out, his heart pounding in his ears. _Don’t kill Brett. I need Brett._

__He poked his head nervously around the open doorframe, prepping to avoid any flying object that might come his way. As he peered his head around, he saw Brett face down on the bed, shaking slightly and sniffing at odd intervals._ _

__Liam stepped towards the bed, sitting on the edge, his back facing Brett. He placed his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. Hopefully the sound of Brett’s sobbing would drown out his own._ _

__It was a wallowing mess in that bedroom, filled with the sounds of sniffing and stuttered breaths. At one point their breaths synchronised so that there was a moment of silence. Liam twisted his head slowly to look at Brett, who had also turned his head to look up at Liam. Their puffy, red eyes looked at each other, lips quivering in sorrow._ _

Brett propped himself onto his elbows before launching himself at Liam. Liam threw his arms up in defence but was surprised by the warm embrace of strong arms around his back. Liam’s arms were uncomfortably trapped between their bodies. _What the fuck did you get yourself into, Liam?_

__They held that position for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to break the silence. Brett pulled them both down onto the pillows, Liam defeated by Brett’s strength and his own exhaustion._ _

Brett was still draped over Liam while Liam was on his back and Brett’s face was nuzzled in his collarbone. Even though both their eyes were closed, Liam’s mind was going one million miles an hour behind his eyelids.

__His thought were only interrupted by a small whisper from Brett, “She was all I had left,” his voice trailing off._ _

_He just lost his sister, calm your fucking pants._

__That didn’t stop Liam’s mouth curling upwards in a small chuckle as he settled down to Brett’s cute snoring to bring him to sleep._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liam isn't the only fragile one. Everyone needs help at some point. I just hope that there will be someone there to offer it.
> 
> Congratulations to Melina_Vanilla for reading my mind and correctly predicting the events of this chapter. I don't know how you did it but damn you're good.
> 
> As I said, there will be a gap between Ch 4 and 5 now so please be patient <3


	5. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooooooooooooooooooo sorry that this took so long. My nights where I used to do typing have been preoccupied with uni assignments and other stuff. I'm not sure how long it will be until Chapter 6 so I'm not going to make any promises. Your support is always good to will me along but I've had writer's block for the past two weeks.
> 
> I am going to be starting two new stories (when I get time) sometime in the next two weeks (hopefully). One Soulmates AU and another Superpowers AU (we'll see how far that one goes...)
> 
> But for now, read and enjoy, tell me what you think :D

### Chapter 5 – Calm Before the Storm

_  
“So are we gonna play another game of Halo, or play something else?” Garrett flicked his hair away from his face, dropping the controller onto his lap and stretching. They had been at it for over two hours. Liam was getting a bit tired and was thinking about heading home soon because his mother might be wondering if he would be home for dinner._

_“Umm, I don't mind,” Liam mumbled, never one to want to disagree with Garrett._

_“Fuuuuuuuuuck, just make up your mind for once,” groaned Garrett, scratching his shoulder out of boredom. “You’re never gonna get anywhere in life with that indecisiveness.”_

_Liam shied away from Garrett, fiddling with the joysticks of his controller. After a few moments he finally breathed a response, “Umm, I’ll watch you play GTA again.”_

_“Good boy, I’ll show you my cool new guns that I unlocked.”_

_Garrett rambled on about killing some gangsters in GTA while the game load, proceeding to do as such once he started playing. Although it might have seen boring to someone else, Liam was engrossed in how fanatical Garrett was about this game, or any game for that matter. Garrett would always beat Liam miserably in Halo and CoD, but Liam loved his gloating smile and his victory poses._

_Garrett, on the other hand, had no clue about what happened inside Liam’s head, nor did anyone really. Not even Mason. But Liam was ok with that._

_“Did you SEE that explosion!” Garrett’s maniacal laughter bringing Liam back to reality._

_“What? Yeah, that was cool…” Liam agreed._

_“Ugh, you weren't even watching.” Garrett rolled his eyes at Liam, frustrated that he had to redo whatever “cool thing” he just did._

_Garrett played around a little longer, running around and hacking people down in the streets._

_“Boys,” a motherly voice rang out from down the stairwell, “Is Liam staying for dinner?”_

_Garrett raised his eyebrows at Liam extending the question to him. “Umm, I’ll just text my mum.”_

_“YES MUM,” Garrett yelled back harshly._

_“Ok, it’ll be another hour,” she replied before her voice disappeared._

_“Ok, well I’m gonna shower before dinner so you can entertain yourself for ten minutes.” Garrett slid off his bed and headed into the bathroom, followed by the sound of the water falling onto tiles._

_Liam looked around, spinning his phone in his left hand. He had only been in Garrett’s room a few times but it was becoming more often now that Garrett had convinced (forced) his mum to let him have his Xbox in his room._

_Liam shuffled back to lean on the headboard, tapping away at some stupid game on his phone, listening to the water falling on Garrett’s body. No, no he wasn’t. No he was NOT._

_He concentrated on his game to distract himself and must have been too engrossed in it to see Garrett walk out in just a towel, his developed chest and abs protruding from his body. Liam was so unprepared that his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the sight and a little bit of saliva formed on the edge of his lips._

_“Dude, I’m gonna get changed so could you, like, turn around.”_

_Liam couldn't move. He didn't want to move. No, he had to move._ Move damn it. _His eyes were fixated on Garrett, on all of Garrett. Running up and down Garrett._ Fuck, Liam.

_“What the actual fuck. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Garrett had started to tense up at Liam’s accidental perverseness, which didn’t help Liam’s perception of Garrett’s muscle tone._

_Liam finally gained control of his eyes, flicking them away and covering his face, but unable to hide the full body blush that had just erupted from his face down. How could he have let his guard down so easily? This had never happened before._

_“Are you fucking gay?”_

_Liam winced at Garrett’s tone, shrinking against the headboard._

_There was an awkward pause where Garrett tried to formulate what the hell just happened. For every second he took, Liam wished he had died one second earlier._

_He heard Garrett’s feet step across the carpet towards him, bracing for the first punch._

_But it didn't come. Liam braved a peek through his fingers and Garrett was towering over him, with an odd expression on his face. His eyebrows weren't furrowed, his eyes weren't glaring into his. Instead, he had a crooked smile curving up to the left._

_"So you think I'm hot, do you?” Garrett ran a hand through his hair, flexing his biceps over eagerly._

_“G…Garrett, wh… What are you doing?” Liam stuttered, following every muscle shift._

_“How badly do you want me? How long have you wanted this?” Garrett ran a hand down his still shirtless chest, brushing down his nipples and over the creases of his abs._

_Liam followed every movement Garrett made, glancing up through his reddening eyes to Garrett, scared. He looked like a wolf during the full moon._

_“Look, I won't tell anyone, trust me. You just have to help me out a bit.” Garrett winked at Liam and he knew exactly what he meant._

_“B… But I've never…”_

_“Shhh,” Garrett hushed while he placed a finger on Liam’s lips, “It’ll be ok. It'll all be ok.”_

_Liam figured that if he were to start anywhere, it should be with a friend that he trusted. Liam stood up to be eye level with Garrett. Thankfully for Liam, Garrett was only just an inch taller than him, and built similar to him. Liam looked at Garrett expectantly, before hesitantly leaning in so their faces were closer to each other._

_Garrett immediately shoved him back down onto the bed. “Did you just try to fucking kiss me? Fuck, man, I'm horny, not a faggot. Here.” Garrett grabbed Liam’s wrist and guided it to the top of his abs. He let go soon after, revelling in Liam’s awkward anticipation. Unprompted Liam slid his hand around each bump on Garrett’s stomach, sliding his other hand all the way up so that he grazed his nipple._

_“Fuck, Liam,” Garrett hummed, spurring him on. Liam’s mind blew up at the sound of his name, his limbs moving independently to his mind. He grabbed Garrett’s shoulder and dragged him onto the bed on his back with a light “oof”._

_Liam went wild, kissing and sliding his tongue all over Garrett’s chest and abs, his hands moving down to his thighs. Garrett’s breath was stuttering in ecstasy, his head rolling back with his eyes closed._

_Liam felt a firm hand on his head, pushing him further and further down Garrett. Liam was surprised that his towel had remained on this entire time, but there was a definite bulge poking out at Liam. He gripped it firmly through the towel, massaging it in his palm._

_Garrett’s tried to muffle his moans but he just couldn't hold it in, “Oh my god, Vi.” Liam snapped out of it at the mention of Garrett’s girlfriend’s name. Garrett didn't seem to notice but lowered a hand onto Liam’s shoulder, pushing him into his groin._

_“Garrett,” Liam mumbled, now fully aware at what was happening._

_“Yeah, baby,” he murmured, obviously still in his horny trance._

_"Garrett!” Liam repeated more firmly this time._

_“What?” Garrett looked down at Liam, obviously annoyed by the interruption._

_“I… I can't do this. I've never done this.” Liam shied away from Garrett, standing up from the bed and started to pick up his bag._

_“Yes you can. Come ooooon, dude.” Garrett was sitting up on the bed with his arms pushing down into the bed._

_"I'm sorry, Garrett.” Liam made to leave but was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder._

_Garrett spun him around, grabbed his hair and pushed him down onto his knees. During the commotion of him running to Liam his towel had conveniently fallen off and Liam was staring at his thick cock._

_“I don't give a fuck what you think. You will suck my cock or I will tell everyone you're a fucking fag.” Tears had started to form at the edge of Liam’s eyes. Whether it was from the pain of his hair being pulled or from what Garrett had just said, he couldn't tell._

_Garrett started to grind onto Liam’s face, his dick slicking Liam up with copious amounts of precum. “Mmm, Liam, suck my dick.”_

_Liam gradually opened his mouth and placed his lips around the head. Garrett pushed Liam’s head onto his cock without warning, grinning at the sounds of Liam gasping for air._

_“Fuck, Liam, you're a natural,” Garrett cried as he slammed his cock into the back of Liam’s throat repeatedly where surely a bruise would form. Liam was fading with lack of oxygen but used his last reserves of strength to push Garrett back a few inches, inhaling all the air his lungs could manage._

_Garrett looked at him in a sort of angry disappointment, “You're supposed to be enjoying this, Liam. Now, finish your job.” He stepped forward and Liam breathed one final time before grabbing Garrett’s dick himself and sliding it into his mouth._

_Liam multi-tasked fondling Garrett’s balls while pushing further and further down his shaft. It didn't take long for Garrett to tense up and, holding Liam down, spilled down his throat. Liam was choking on the load, majority of it spilling out of his mouth and mixing with his tears._

_As Garrett pulled out, a string of cum connected Liam’s lips to his cock before Garrett wiped himself off with the towel on the floor._

_“Disgusting,” Garrett interjected, “But better than Violet so I'm going to keep you as a backup.”_

_“Boys, dinner!” Garrett’s mother provided an exit for Liam._

_“Oh the fun we are going to have.”  
_

***

Liam’s eyes snapped open after his dream, nightmare, memory. The first thought he had was the warmth around his entire body. He instantly melted back into the arms around his waist and leg that was over his. This was a new experience for him and he couldn't believe he didn't know what he had missed. Nothing could stop him enjoying this moment.

A loud groan vibrated next to his collarbone where Brett’s face was nuzzled. _He's going to enjoy today._

“Turn the light off,” Brett groaned, oblivious to the fact that it was the sun shining through their window.

Liam chuckled at Brett’s minor misfortune. _Why would anyone even drink alcohol? It tastes disgusting._

Before Brett realised where he was, Liam decided to get up to avoid any awkward confrontation. Brett’s anger that had surfaced last night may not have been directly aimed at him but it had happened nonetheless, and Liam didn't want to take the chance of it happening again.

As Liam rolled to try and get up Brett held him closer to his chest, “Oh no you don't, I was comfortable.” Liam turned and saw that Brett still had his eyes closed.

“I am not your girlfriend,” Liam whispered, trying to rouse his captor to his senses.

“I never said you were, Liam,” Brett smirked, eyes still closed. His smirk quickly twisted into a grimace, obviously reacting from a throb in his head, “But you can't tell me you don't enjoy having someone to hold, or hold you. You can't be _that_ impersonal.”

Liam had to admit, Brett had a point, and he wasn't about to deny a hot guy’s pleas to keep him in bed. So he rolled back over and accepted Brett’s arms around his own.

“I knew it,” Brett chuckled.

Liam blushed a deep red and untangled himself from Brett, half falling off the bed in his attempt to escape.

“Aww, I didn't scare you off, did I?” Brett called after him as Liam went to the kitchen to grab some water. 

As he looked at his half-filled cup, he regretted his decision to leave but couldn't bare Brett finding out about him. Instead, he filled a new glass, grabbed some of the dwindling painkiller supply and headed back to the bedroom.

“Oh God, did last night really happen?” Brett mumbled through the pillow, trying to drown out any excessive noise or light. He must have only just remembered. "Liam –"

“Brett, you have to take these," Liam cut him off abruptly, not wanting to get into this conversation while Brett wasn't fully sober. An arm extended miserably from beneath the covers and searched for the fabled treasure. Once it had grabbed the two pills and retreated back to its hidey-hole Liam left the glass of water on the bedside table and left Brett to recuperate on his own.

Liam knew he should have cleared Lori’s paint supplies earlier, and now that he had to clear the dirty water stains that had seeped onto the floorboards he regretted his prior laziness. Lori’s unfinished artwork was still drying from the spill but Liam noticed that most of it was still intact from where she had left it.

The grassland surrounded by forest, with some skyscrapers in the far background, had been blurred with the grey of the dirty water, splotches of red floating on top now. It looked as if a storm cloud had descended upon the city surrounds and was about to wreak havoc upon it.

As Liam lifted it, the damp paper started to tear so he quickly grabbed it and shook it lightly so that the excess water could run off, before hanging it up to dry properly.

Liam went back into the bedroom to check on Brett, who was out cold either from the painkillers or the hangover. He was lying on his back with the pillow on either side of his head and legs splayed in different directions. 

Liam quickly ran back to the living to grab his sketchbook and pencil. This was the perfect moment to capture Brett’s form and it was the closest thing to taking a photo for Liam’s memory.

He sat down cross-legged on the opposite side of the bed and started by drawing Brett’s long and sleek legs, muscled at the thighs. The baggy material of the sweatpants he was wearing didn't help quite accentuate as much as Liam would have liked but he was sure he was as accurate as he could be. And Liam was also careful to emphasise the prominent bulge that was evident in front of him.

Next Liam sketched upwards towards Brett’s tapered waist moulded by his tight v-neck. His torso was almost trapezoidal, the way it enlarged as Liam shaded towards Brett’s shoulders.

Liam took his time carving out Brett’s arms, cross-hatching the shadows created by his biceps and forearm muscles. One arm was holding the pillow above his head down, the muscles tensed, while the other arm was hanging loosely off to side, his hand slightly off the bed.

Even with all Brett’s muscles, his face was Liam’s favourite part. It disappointed Liam that there was a pillow covering it in this perfect moment for his creative side but he made do. He imagined that there wasn't a pillow in the way and that Brett’s arm was raised above his head. Liam left the space blank on the page because he feels he couldn't do Brett’s face the justice it deserved just from memory alone.

So like a painter and a masterpiece, he kissed his (almost) finished work and resigned to the living room.

Liam grabbed some water and a small snack before jumping into his sketching chair in the corner, curling into a ball and getting comfortable for more work. He glanced up at his previously finished works in the wall. He had gone through a phase of drawing vegetation, because it had the randomness and lack of structure that was similar to the human body.

The ferns in one picture, together with the large oaks in another kind of made a little graphite forest around his chair, his little shroud of seclusion.

His pencil touched the paper and the tip started to trace Liam's thoughts. Lots of curves, his hands becoming black with residue and his hands covered in pencil shavings.

It didn't take long before Brett emerged from the bedroom. He moved over to the kitchen, not looking over at Liam. Liam tried to ignore Brett but this was the most movement he'd seen from him in two days so he was intrigued by the aftermath of everything that had happened.

Brett scavenged through the cupboards for some food, filling up his empty glass from the pre-boiled water, and leant on the kitchen counter, his back facing Liam. Brett was looking out of the window, squinting at the glare of the sun. Liam stopped sketching his new piece and watched Brett. _What is he thinking?_

Brett finally turned around after a few minutes of sipping at his water and gazing out the window. He came over to the couch and flopped down, legs up. Liam busied himself back in the sketchbook, acting as if he hadn't noticed Brett's entrance.

Liam immediately felt himself being watched, carefully. He furrowed his eyebrows and really concentrated on his sketch, getting the details just right. His hand kept shaking and making mistakes as Brett kept eyeing him. Liam was getting internally frustrated at himself, having to erase a lot of his work for the tenth time. He just couldn’t concentrate while Brett was staring at him.

Liam was exhaling forcefully now, and he could see Brett smirking out of his peripherals. _What the hell are you smirking about? You shouldn't be smirking, I'm trying to work here. You’re distracting me._ The tension was killing him and he couldn’t help but force a smile out of the corner of his mouth. He flicked his eyes over to Brett in a puppy dog manner. Brett breathed a small laugh but didn't stop staring at Liam. _Is he checking me out? No, don't be stupid._

Brett looked away awkwardly and got up, much to the relief of Liam, and headed to the back door where he had placed a pile of sticks. He went about testing each one for strength and flexibility, experimenting before making a bow and arrow set.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet, with both boys doing their own thing, occasionally looking over at each other and shyly looking away before the other could notice.

The sun was already setting when Liam finally rolled off his chair and stretched his way over to the kitchen to grab some food. On his way through, he picked up the almost empty bottle of whiskey that was the source of their troubles and hid it under his bed. Afterwards he cut up some vegetables and put them over the fire to boil, before looking over the work that he had done today.

He hadn’t made much progress on a lot of sketches before getting bored and moving on to another one. The only image he had managed to finish was scrunched up in a ball next to his chair.

Liam sat cross-legged in front of the fire, warming his hands at the cool evening wind, before Brett finally came in from the backyard, tending to the vegetables. He flopped down comfortably on the closest couch to the fire, arm over his eyes in exhaustion. Neither of them said anything, but Liam offered a bowl of stew once it was ready.

They ate in silence and, although Liam appreciated silence and solidarity most of the time, this was different. There was a nervous tension that neither of them knew how to describe. 

Brett was looking around, probably for his whiskey, but Liam ignored his attempts to locate it, for fear of annoying him. He eventually gave up, in search of water instead. After he sat back down he just sighed and finally broke the silence.

“She was the brightest in her class,” he blurted out, continuing to stare at his empty bowl hanging loosely in his hands. “Even through all the hardship of losing our parents and moving around a lot she was dedicated to her studies and her friends.”

Liam sat there awkwardly, but letting Brett ramble on.

“I remember when she came home from her first day of school and leapt into my arms, telling me all about her new friends and her teacher and her classes and the things that she learnt.” Brett exhaled through his nose. “She never stopped doing that. Always eager to talk and share, but also listen. Boy, was she good at listening. When my first girlfriend broke up with me I would’ve cried for a lot longer if she hadn’t been there for me.” 

Brett paused and looked up at Liam, “Look, I know you won’t understand, but she was just really amazing and you have to understand that I wasn’t in a good place last night.” Brett rushed his last sentence, feeling like the words were falling out of his mouth after being held back for a few hours.

Liam just looked back at Brett with a soft glare before answering, “Brett, I can’t forget what you’ve done.” Brett’s eyes widened in fear. “But I can sympathise with you and we can try to get over it.” Brett’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I do need you to really take a good look at yourself now, though. We only have each other and I’m not Lori,” Brett winced at her name.

Liam got up started to leave the room. He stopped at the doorway without turning around, “You are just like almost every other guy I’ve been close to. I can’t let that happen again.” _Liar. You want him. He’s just like every guy and you are going to fall for him just like every guy. You never learn._

“Liam,” Brett called after him. Liam stopped at the bedroom door, one hand holding the doorknob. “I… I know it’ll take time. I do. I just,” Brett rubbed his neck and looked to the side, “I… I don’t want to be alone in grief.”

Liam looked back at Brett, and oh how vulnerable he looked. He only dipped his head in a nod before entering his bedroom. _Double standards, Liam._

As Liam was pulling back the covers for the bed Brett entered with a pillow and a blanket, and proceeded to lay out some bedding on the floor. Liam gave him a confused look and turned his head to the side.

“What are you doing?” he asked curiously.

Brett blushed red, “I thought… I thought you said I could sleep in here.” He made to pick up the pillows, embarrassed.

“No, silly, you said yourself, it’s much better to sleep in the same bed as someone.” Liam patted the space next to him before curling up underneath the covers, his back turned to Brett.

It didn’t take long for Liam to feel the covers be pulled back and the bed drop down with Brett’s weight. It also didn’t take long for Liam to feel Brett’s sleepy arms hesitantly snake their way around his waist and pull him closer.

“I’m a hugger, just so you know,” Brett whispered.

Liam blushed but, thankfully, in the darkness Brett couldn’t tell, aside from the heat on his neck. “Don’t expect this every night,” he whispered, too tired to keep his antisocial barriers up.

“Mmhmm,” was the only reply.

The last thing that flashed through Liam’s mind was a single thought. _You lucky bastard._

***

Liam could get used to this feeling. Brett held Liam tightly in his sleep and Liam felt that he could just forget about the rest of the world. If only his stomach would agree. A loud rumbling vibrated Brett’s arm around Liam’s waist and Liam hoped to God that it didn’t rouse him. The resultant chuckling behind his ear put a slight frown on his face.

Liam huffed and untangled himself from the mess of limbs, much to the disapproval of Brett. His stomach grumbled again and he set out to the kitchen to find out what he already knew.  
He stared at the six cans remaining in the cupboard, and the 3 salted rabbits in the broken fridge. _Fuck._

“Brett,” Liam whispered groggily at the half-awake mass on the bed, “Brett, we’re gonna run out of food soon. We have to go out real soon otherwise winter is gonna catch up to us.”

A small whine erupted from within the pillow before Brett finally rolled out of bed and busied himself to get ready.

Liam showed Brett the map that he had been marking up, and the areas that he had partially explored and the stores that he had raided.

“What’s the big black area?” asked Brett, pointing over to a block department stores.

“We’re not going there,” Liam responded forcefully, changing the topic quickly, “We will leave as soon as we can to get to this edge of the map before nightfall. There is an apartment there where I have a few supplies and a bed.”

Brett looked up at Liam with a smile, “You really have prepared yourself for everything, haven’t you?”

Liam looked down at the map with a blush, busying himself over measuring distances and what not. Brett just chuckled to himself and continued to listen to the plan.

***

“There’s nothing left here,” hissed Liam as he kicked a few empty boxes into the air, frustrated. This must have been the tenth store they had been in that had already been ransacked. 

“Liam, calm down,” Brett came over from the next aisle and placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder, “There are still tonnes of places we haven’t explored in this city.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Liam shouted in a loud whisper, rolling Brett’s hand off, “I was doing just fine until you came along.”

Brett took a step back with his hands raised. “No, you can’t just blame me for all this. I’ve lost things, people – Lori – too.” Brett slumped his shoulders after finally saying her name after so long.

Liam scowled and stormed out of the store leaving Brett standing alone.

As Brett exited the store a cool breeze, filled with orange and brown leaves, fluttered past him, swishing down the street towards the afternoon sun. The sun was reflecting off all the windows of the tall buildings surrounding them. There was an odd reflection, a sharper reflection, coming from a broken window a few storeys up. But when Brett looked again, it was gone. He tried to move his head to catch the light again but it was gone.

"Liam?" Brett looked around the next few shop fronts. “Liiiiam.” He spied the door to an ornate building which was slightly ajar. 

The building had been slightly charred, no doubt from the myriad of rioting that had happened in the beginning. Stepping in, he realised quickly that he was very wrong. In the middle of where study desks had been was a mass of charcoal and ash, with a kneeling Liam slumped next to it.

Brett carefully made his way around the front shelves, noticing how empty the shelves seemed to be; empty of books and life.

“Why?” Liam’s small voice echoed across the cracked marble floor. His hands were covered black in ash that he kept picking up and let fall through his fingers.

Brett had no answer. It was probably survivors who needed warmth during the winter and this was easy kindling. But Brett didn’t want to admit that to Liam. He probably already knew.

He left Liam to play with the ash and walked to the science section. He ran his fingers over the spines of some of the electrical engineering textbooks, stopping only at the more useful titles, “Handy Electrical Tips for the Home” and others. He quickly rifled through the pages and jotted some notes down on his small notepad he carried around in his backpack, before heading back to Liam and attempting to shake him out of his sombre trance.

"Liam,” he spoke his name slowly. Liam’s ears twitched at the way he said it, and he looked up at Brett slowly. “Come on, we’re losing light.”

They made their way through more stores as the sun dropped further down. After each shop Liam kept losing hoping, spending less and less time in each store so as not to get to distressed. In the end he threw his hands in the air and just stormed off in the direction of his second hideout.

As the streets became less and less commercial, Brett seemed to gain a small familiarity with his surroundings. “Hey, Liam,” distracting Liam from his furrowed brow, “I’ve been here before. Some other survivors I had met before live around here.” His eyes grew wide as he realised what might have happened to them with the masses of zombies they had recently seen. “Liam we have to see if they’re alright.”

“No, we don’t have time and we need to take care of ourselves first.”

“Why are you so selfish? It’s always about keeping yourself alive and not others.” Brett held back from speaking any further because he knew he would over step the line.

“I have to think of survival,” Liam hissed. “Someone has to stay alive and not everyone I’ve met is so keen to be buddy buddy with any other survivors. I keep to myself and they keep to themselves. We both survive.”

“But what if they don’t survive?”

Liam started to walk faster as they were getting close and he wanted to end the conversation. _I don’t want to lose you too._

The boys stepped into the apartment which was now covered in dust from the months of disuse.

“Well, a room is a room.” Brett sighed.

They didn’t spend much time setting anything up. They ate some of their rations and settled down on the single bed, squishing against each other somewhat comfortably.

“Tomorrow we’ll decide what we do,” Liam grumbled, much to the approval of Brett.


	6. Something Different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hi, long time no see...  
> Yeah so I've been busy with uni and other things but I recently got sick over this past week and decided that instead of lying in bed all day doing nothing to lie in bed all day and write :)
> 
> So here you go.  
> I tried to write from Brett's POV for the first time in this series . It seemed to work so I'll see how you guys liked it.
> 
> Hope you're all doing well and I'll go read your updates I've missed over the last month :)

### Chapter 6 – Something Familiar

**Liam's POV**

At first Liam thought the groaning was Brett behind him on the bed, so he nudged him to be quiet, trying to get back to sleep. The sun was flickering violently through a slit in the wooden boards covering the window. Liam scrunched his face up. Why is it flickering? 

He pried one eye open after another groan erupted from in front of him. _How is Brett in front of me?_ A fat zombie was shambling towards them, bumping over their backpacks on the floor.

“Brett!” Liam leapt up from the bed ferociously. “BRETT!” 

A groan came from both the zombie and Brett, but Brett’s was cut short as he realised what was happening.

This zombie was bleeding from every place possible, blood and pus oozing out of cuts in his skin and on to the floor. A large gash in its lower stomach was showing its small intestine, spilling out and only just holding on.

Without thinking, Brett threw the blanket from over his legs over the zombie’s head. He dislodged one of the wooden beams over the windows with adrenaline-induced strength and started bashing the covered zombie. 

During the commotion, Liam had grabbed a metal pipe that had been strewn across the partial rubble and had joined Brett in his hell bent mission. The blanket had slipped of the zombie’s head and the blood splatter was spreading with each successive hit. With each successive hit there was increasingly more blood on the boys than there was on the zombie. With each successive hit the zombie was less of a zombie and more of a misshapen pile of battered bones and flesh.

"Brett!" Liam shook himself from their violent stupor. “BRETT! Stop!” Brett dragged the splintered beam through the mush on the floor. He looked up at Liam and barely recognised him through the blood that had started to dry in his hair and covered his face.

Brett tried to wipe his face with his sleeve but only ended up smearing more dark red goop on his face.

"We have to go. Now." That was all he huffed, before picking up their bags and heading to the door. Liam quickly shouldered his bag and left his secondary hideout with the door wide open, eager to never return.

Brett was silent as the trudged along, clearly formulating a plan of attack. Liam dreaded the following words from his mouth.

“We have to find the others. They could be in more trouble than I originally thought.”

Liam opened his mouth to respond but Brett cut him off.

“I know you may not like the idea, or you might not trust me, or a host of other reasons but I need to check if they’re ok.” Brett sighed and turned to Liam, somewhat sternly, “We may not have banded together but I’m still a human and at least one of us needs to remain selfless.”

Liam closed his mouth and kept on walking, his silence becoming his way to deal with Brett.

Aside from a few small groups of zombies which they managed to avoid the full brunt of what Brett had feared during his rude awakening.

It didn't take them long to come across a slightly clearer road, its contents obviously strategically placed to create obstacles leading to the large corrugated iron wall that blocked off the rest of the street. The wall seemed impressive to Liam, complete with makeshift barbed wire on the top and a small gated opening. Yet its protection was nullified by the large collapse on the left hand side where it seemed a large weight of decaying corpses had pushed through.

Brett’s eyes widened at the sight of the collapse and his pace quickened towards the gate.

“Hold it!” a female voice erupted from behind the metal. Brett scanned the gaps and spied a small slit near the door where the voice must have come from. He looked up and saw a rifle barrel protruding from a window up to the right.

Liam cocked his head at the sound of the voice. _Where have I heard that before?_

Before he could contemplate anymore, the harsh tone rang out again, “I said don’t move, unless you want a fucking bullet through your head.”

“We mean you no harm,” Brett half joked, trying to ease the tension from the disembodied voice.

A sharp _crack_ rang out from the window and the road beneath Brett’s feet blew up in a puff of dirt.

“Don’t talk either, boy.”

Brett eyed Liam in his peripherals before lowering his machete, motioning to Liam to do the same. It took Liam quite a while to accept his fate, and lowered his hatchet hesitantly.

“Look at you, all trained without me having to say anything.” The gate creaked open on its rusty hinges revealing two girls standing in stereotypical combat gear, complete with boots and face paint. 

Both girls headed towards the two boys, who had their hands raised. Liam noticed the black-haired girl and instantly dipped his head down in mock defeat. _How the hell is she here?_

The black-haired girl, seemingly more authoritative than the blonde one, strutted up to Brett and gave him a once over before forcefully patting him down. Brett, being Brett, couldn’t help himself and jested, “Usually I go on a date before I let a girl feel me up.”

The girl didn’t hesitate to give him an uppercut from under his jaw. Brett recoiled and held his tongue while she completed her search. She then proceeded on to Liam.

Liam kept his head down but the girl grabbed his chin and lifted his face up so that she stared directly into his eyes. She squinted in concern and confusion before letting it slide and patting Liam down, although Liam was smart to keep his mouth shut this time.

The radio on her shoulder crackled to life. “Haze.” She reached for the radio, eyeing both the boys for any sudden movements.

“Go ahead, Misty,”

“Tank wants to see you and the trespassers ASAP.”

_Haze. The codename seems fitting for her._

The blonde girl pointed her gun toward the gate and nudged Liam in the back. As Liam stepped past Brett, he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “Don’t tell them anything, even our names.”

A swift smack of a rifle butt rammed into Liam’s cheek, taking him off guard.

“You speak when spoken to,” Haze glared at Liam, before grabbing his arm and shoving him through the gap in the wall.

The other side of the wall was also strewn with burnt out and rusting chassis of cars, much like the outside. The troupe made their way to the only freestanding building, an apartment of sorts.

Stepping through the front door, Liam was instantly troubled by the pile of human bodies, not zombies, in a side room. _Too recent to be buried._

There were a few people in side rooms busying themselves with moving boxes, but Liam couldn’t make out what was in them.

Brett and Liam were thrown onto their knees in front of a desk with lots of maps and supplies surrounding it. And behind the desk was a blonde haired boy with a wide smirk on his smug face. _Could my day get any worse?_

“Hey Garrett,” Haze leapt up to Garrett and they started to make out right in front of them. The other survivors seemed used to this public display.

"Mmm, Vi,” Garrett groaned into her mouth. His eyes flicked to the side and spied a greater prize. He instantly broke off the kiss with Violet and turned to the new arrivals.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves some fresh meat,” Garrett smiled devilishly at Brett and Liam, spending a lot of time eyeing up Liam. _Please don’t recognise me._ “Are you trying to rob us? Nice try, we’ve got more firepower than you and I can kill you with a word.”

Both boys remained silent and Brett just stared Garrett down. Garrett pushed up from the desk staring at Brett angrily, the rotting wood cracking under the new pressure. He walked up to Brett, the almost foot height difference immediately apparent. As Garrett puffed up his chest towards Brett he clenched his jaw a muttered to Violet, “Take them to the lock up rooms.”

The lock up rooms were just two reasonably empty storerooms next to each other, each with a table and a wooden chair. Brett and Liam locked eyes before each being led into a different room and the doors being slammed and locked behind them.

Violet had joined Brett, and Liam was followed in by Garrett.

As soon as the door was closed, and the guard who had tied Liam to the chair had left, Garrett was all over Liam, pressing up against him in a tight embrace. 

“Fuck, Liam, I’m so glad you’re alive.” Liam wasn’t sure if Garrett was excited or relieved.

“You recognised me under all this blood?” Liam asked concernedly.

Garrett stepped back a second and took all of Liam in, “You think I could forget little Liam? I’m offended. We know each other so well.” He leant in next to Liam’s ear and breathed in his scent. “I missed that beautiful mouth of yours.” He stepped back and folded his arms, bulging his biceps and winking at Liam.

Liam looked uncomfortably around the room while Garrett stood in front of him, careful to not give anything away.

“Come on, baby. You can’t seem surprised that I still like you. Although,” Garrett trailed off, “there is one thing we never got to try.”

He jumped on Liam’s lap, straddling him with a leg on either side. Liam struggled under the weight of Garrett, trying to break free.

“Brett!” Liam tried to call out amidst the struggle but it was no use. Garrett pushed a hand over Liam’s mouth and held him there as he removed the bandana from his head and wrapped it around Liam’s head, gagging him with it.

“Taste me,” Garrett’s eyes were ignited with lust as he pushed the gag into Liam’s mouth. He grabbed the back of Liam’s head and pulled him in for a deep kiss over the gag. Liam was taken aback by Garrett’s actions, as he had never shown any sign of wanting to kiss Liam before.

Garrett broke the kiss and stared lustfully at Liam’s eyes, darting between the left and right to catch his gaze.

“I’ve been thinking a lot ever since we started our… fun,” Garrett started, “While Vi is great, there’s just something about fucking around with guys…” Garrett trailed off again, lost in Liam’s eyes with a wildfire behind them. He smirked quietly and continued, “You were the first and best, Liam. I’m not going to lose you again. I’m keeping you for good this time.”

Liam’s senses instantly went into overdrive and he started to panic, wrestling with the knots behind him.

“Hey, hey, Liam,” Garrett rubbed his hands up and down Liam’s arms, “It’s ok. I’ve got you now. And I will promise to protect you forever. Just as long as you agree to stay.”

Liam looked at Garrett dumbfounded. _I hate you._

“I will remove the gag right now and we can continue our little make out unobstructed. Now do you want me to hurt you?” Garrett’s eyes lit up in a thought, “If you stay with me I’ll let your little nuisance of a boyfriend leave unharmed.”

Liam tried to argue that Brett wasn’t his boyfriend, but nothing intelligible came out. _I can’t let them hurt Brett. He’ll be alright on his own._

Liam dropped his head in a small, defeated nod, tears forming at the edges of his eyes.

Garrett removed the gag slowly from Liam’s head and threw it to the side. He caressed Liam’s chin with the back of his hand before they continued where they had left off, Garrett going into a sexual frenzy above Liam. He was grinding down on his crotch, both boys’ bulges growing at the friction.

Liam’s body failed to resist the outcry of a moan as Garrett darted his tongue in and out of his mouth. Garrett just continued, groaning appreciation into Liam’s mouth and breathing in the scent of the boy he had missed.

**Brett’s POV**

It was just Violet and Brett in the room, both of them squaring each other up, only Brett was tied to a chair and it was difficult to puff up his chest with his arms tied behind him. Brett tried to flex his muscles to show off to Violet but she was unamused.

They had stared at each other silently for a few minutes before Violet finally broke it.

“Where’s your hideout?” she huffed.

Silence.

“How many more of you are there?” She breathed through gritted teeth, a little more frustrated.

Brett could tell that she must have a short temper, so he remained silent in an attempt to crack her.

Violet walked up to Brett and slapped him hard across the face. Brett just passed it off and ignored the resulting sting, choosing only to clench his jaw at her.

She was breathing heavily through her nose, ready to shoot Brett with the pistol at her waist, her fingers twitching above the holster.

Brett just smirked at her and decided to reverse the roles by asking his own questions.

“Where were the people who lived here before you?”

Violet snarled at Brett, but answered anyway, “They got hit pretty hard. They left behind a lot of supplies.”

“So you’re vultures.”

“We’re survivors. Why did you come here?”

“There have been a lot of hordes lately. Thought you would need some help.”

“We don’t need your help. We’re fine by ourselves.”

“That pile of bodies out the front doesn’t scream ‘fine’ to me.”

"Everyone loses people.” Violet looked away from Brett. The uneasy silence returned for a few seconds.

"What’s with your boyfriend, he looks like a nutcase,” Brett nosed. _I need her to crack._

“Don’t talk about Garrett like that. He’s pulled us all through a lot.”

“He’s using you, I can tell.”

“You don’t know shit.” The following slap should have been expected. “What’s up with your boyfriend?”

“Ha, Liam? He’s not my boyfriend.”

Violet’s eyes exploded at the sound of Liam’s name, as if a bomb had been set and his name was the detonator. Without another word she stormed out of the room in a hurried manner, pulling the pistol out of its holster and almost throwing the door off its hinges.

As soon as she was out of eyeshot Brett went to work with the knots around his wrists, grating them against the wooden chair, trying to break them with a splinter. The friction between the rope and the wood was heating up and it started to sting but if this was his only chance then he had to bear the pain.

"I FUCKING KNEW IT!" Violet's scream could be heard coming from the next room. A struggle had started, which spurred Brett to work faster at his bonds.

A gunshot rang out.

Time slowed for Brett.

After his adrenaline kicked in, he pushed up with his legs against the floor and fell backwards, his weight smashing the chair into splinters.

Anticipating the ground, Brett rolled to the side, catching a few cuts from the wooden fragments. _Need to help Liam._ This was the only thought in Brett’s mind.

He sprinted towards the door and careened around the corner, throwing the guard to the ground with his momentum. _Don’t you touch a fucking hair on his head._

He rounded the doorway and was met with a sight that he had in no way expected. Violet was on the floor, blood pouring out of the bullet shaped hole in her forehead. Liam was staring wide-eyed at Violet, and now Brett who had just entered. Garrett was attempting to push his tongue into Liam’s closed mouth, a smoking handgun hanging by his side.

"Stop!" Liam yelled from within Garrett’s mouth, nudging him away with as much movement as he could with bound wrists.

Garrett spun around with the smoking barrel pointed at Brett, a maniacal twitch in his eyes.

“Back the fuck off, he’s mine.”

"Garrett, no, it's not what you think," Liam tried to argue his way into distracting him from Brett.

“I’ll tell you what I think. You can turn around right now and walk out of this building, and _not_ save your boyfriend. I had him first.”

Brett turned to Liam and cocked his head to one side, “Liam, what the fuck. Are you gay?” He tried to ask gently but the words came out in a harsh tone due to the adrenaline running through his veins.

Liam cowered his face behind Garrett’s shoulder, the blush extending to his exposed ears giving Brett his answer.

"Get the fuck out, now,” Garrett interrupted.

“Liam…”

“Fuck off!”

“Brett, go, please,” Liam’s eyes peered over Garrett’s shoulder, “He’ll hurt you otherwise. I’ll be ok.”

It took a few moments for Brett to collect his bag and weapon from the entrance hall. He gave one last look back at Liam who was standing submissively behind Garrett, who had an air of victory around him.

He was led by gunpoint to the gate and thrown out, Misty taking watch over his exodus.

The street ahead of him was bare and he wasted no time in setting off, one foot in front of the other, down the road.

**Liam's POV**

_Oh God Brett knows. He’s going to hate me._

Liam’s thought had been racing for the last twenty minutes since Brett had left. _All those nights that we’d slept together. He surely noticed the staring. I am so dead. I am alone and dead._

But Liam reminded himself that he needn’t worry about that now. Brett was gone and he had a much more serious problem to deal with in front of him.

Garrett was leading him around the building, showing him off to the other survivors and ordering them around with a confidence Liam was all too familiar with. Garrett had a tight grip around Liam’s wrist, basically dragging him from room to room.

Once they had got back to Garrett's bedroom, Garrett closed the door behind him and tapped Liam’s head up so they were staring into each other’s eyes.

“Come on, baby. You can forget about your boyfriend now. He’s long gone.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Liam mumbled to the side, for the third time.

“What was that?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Liam blurted out angrily.

“Not anymore he isn’t. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Now be a good boy and stay here.” He patted Liam firmly on the cheek and chuckled to himself.

Garrett left the room with one final kiss against Liam’s lips and did not forget to lock the door behind him, trapping Liam in the bedroom, alone.

There was nothing in the room for Liam to use. It was pretty sparse for someone who seemed to be the leader, so Liam dreaded seeing where the others slept.

Liam was still covered in blood from the zombie this morning. This morning. It felt so far away and he wished he could go back to within Brett’s arms, his head nuzzled into his neck. But all that is gone and ruined now. All because of Garrett, the last person Liam expected or even wanted to see again. _Why can’t you just be a zombie so I can put a bullet in your brain?_

He stepped into the cold shower a slowly rubbed the guts off his skin, surprised to see how white his skin actually was. Liam let the water drip around his eyes and blend in with his tears until he felt the water pressure ease up. There he was, just sitting cold, wet and naked at the bottom of a shower stall, a prisoner in the apocalypse.

As he started to get back into his dirty clothes the door was unlocked and Garrett entered. After quickly seeing what Liam was doing a devilish smile crept onto his lips and he closed the door behind him with a thud. 

“I see you’re already getting ready for me, eh Liam?”

Liam hurriedly tried to pull his jeans on but Garrett quickly wrestled him to the bed and held him down with a deep kiss. Before Liam could realise what was happening, there was a sharp click and something tight around his wrists.

“Just a little security precaution,” Garrett breathed onto Liam as he fastened the handcuffs tightly.

Liam struggles at the cuffs, marks already forming on his wrists.

“I like a good struggle,” Garrett licked at Liam’s neck, nibbling on his ear.

Liam hadn’t meant to moan. He really didn’t want to show to Garrett that his teenage body was enjoying the attention. But inside his head his thoughts were going blurry.

Garrett pulled off Liam’s jeans that he hadn’t managed to zip up. He held Liam’s legs up and apart with his shoulders as he slowly traced a finger down to the gap in between his cheeks. The new sensation was too much for Liam and he bucked his hips up towards Garrett, further encouraging him to continue. 

Garrett’s finger traced around Liam’s hole tenderly but with desire behind it, probing at it until it was ready for him. As he slowly pushed his index finger in, Liam groaned at the strange feeling, his eyes rolling back into his head.

“Garrett, no,” Liam moaned, unable to stop him.

“Garrett, yes,” Garrett seethed, “You feel so good around my finger. I can’t wait until it’s around my dick.”

He kept pushing in, the burn getting more intense after every inch. He pulled back every so often, changing it up and making Liam’s toes curl.

After inserting his middle finger at the same time, Liam whimpered at the presence as Garrett scissored them apart and played with Liam’s inside. With his other hand, Garrett played loosely with his cock, keeping it hard at the sight of Liam unravelling underneath him, ready to go further.

Once he had determined that he couldn’t tease Liam any longer, he positioned himself behind Liam and muttered those words that Liam had dreaded since they were first spoken to him.

“Oh, the fun we are going to have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's a mild cliffhanger. And yes, I will probably take a while to write the next chapter, I'm sorry. But that's the way my brain works :/


End file.
